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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470311">A Little Problem</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClicheAly/pseuds/ClicheAly'>ClicheAly</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cliche's Multiverse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Children, Gen, Ink is evil, Killer is a bean, Nightmare's Gang - Freeform, dadmare, star sanses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:22:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>34,345</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470311</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClicheAly/pseuds/ClicheAly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nightmare's gang have turned into children..and Ink's there, too, I guess.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cliche's Multiverse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2164461</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. 1 - Pain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nightmare's gang was being opposed heavily at the moment, and it wasn't pleasant at all; we didn't have to spread negativity as much, since everybody was negative towards <em>us, </em>but we came home with more injuries than we had in a <em>long </em>time every time we returned. Ink was probably the most empowered by our being opressed, which wasn't good for Cross and me, since we had to <em>fight</em> him. Error helped out when he could, but we were still overpowered almost every time we went out; I hoped it was just a bad time - those didn't last too long. We didn't have too much time for games when we were home, since we had to heal from our battles for longer periods of time than usual, and it was becoming quite a struggle; we would endure, though - we were a <em>family, </em>and our family could get through <em>anything. </em>At the moment, we were in battle once more, and we were once again losing the fight. Cross and I fought hard against Ink, but even without the use of his paint - Papyrus <em>is</em> the best - he was a tough opponent; I believed he had broken one of my arms, but I couldn't think about that at the moment - I had to focus. The battles were getting longer as the opression continued, which only served to weaken us.</p>
<p>Cross was great at fighting, and he was a <em>huge</em> help when it came to fighting Ink; I couldn't have done these battles alone, and he said he couldn't have done them alone either, which meant we were both required. Ten minutes into battle, we were still going strong, yet it didn't seem to make much of a difference with the opposition we were facing. Twenty minutes in, nothing seemed to be changing. Thirty minutes of battle was nothing to us; we could handle that. Forty minutes was pushing it a bit for me and Horror, but the others could pick up a bit of slack for us - we were appreciative of that. When the battle had raged for fifty minutes, I wasn't doing as good as I could have been, but I still pushed on. After sixty minutes of battle, it was obvious that even <em>Killer</em> was getting a bit tired out; it seemed as if Ink was the only one who <em>wasn't. </em>Seventy minutes through this battle, Cross was beginning to sweat, and I was beginning to succumb to exhaustion. What felt like eighty minutes into battle, an unfortunately large crack was heard; that was Cross, and he couldn't stand anymore, leaving me to deal with Ink. When I had believed ninety minutes had passed, I noticed that Horror wasn't doing well, but I couldn't help him; I was running on pure determination, and it was only enough to keep me at half performance.</p>
<p>Ninety-five minutes into battle, Ink began to show signs of tiredness, which strengthened my determination and <em>myself</em> a little. One hundred minutes after the start of the battle, Horror passed out; he surpassed his old record by about an hour. Killer was left alone against the swap brothers, but he could handle them in their tired state; he had the most endurance of anyone here. When the battle had continued for 105 minutes, my determination was wavering; I could hold on, but I didn't know for how much longer. One hundred ten minutes into the heat of battle, Ink looked more tired than I had ever seen him. One hundred fifteen minutes since the beginning of the mini-war, I felt like I was going to be genuinely <em>sick</em> from this. One hundred twenty minutes through the battle, Killer took a devastating blow to the legs and fell; I had to fight the trio. I wished Nightmare could help me; he was looking exhausted as well, fighting his brother. When the time passed reached 125 minutes, my determination was certainly getting a workout; blocking three attackers with one arm was certainly <em>not</em> my favorite thing to do. As the time passed reached a minute count of 130, I felt like I was going to pass out.</p>
<p>One hundred thirty-five minutes into battle, Papyrus was keeping me in the game by redirecting a lot of attacks; he's the best. One hundred forty minutes through the battle, I felt like my legs were going to buckle at any moment; I was blocking attacks with pure instinct from my determination, and I could barely attack. When the time elapsed reached 145 minutes, I heard Nightmare and Dream fall; I only had Paps now, and he was doing <em>amazingl!</em> One hundred fifty minutes after the point at which this battle began, I was down to my last knife, and I believed I had suffered a couple fractures in my skull and already broken arm; I could barely stand, but I had to keep going. One hundred fifty-five minutes after the accursed fight began, I was leaning on a tree to keep myself standing; I had broken a leg. One hundred sixty minutes into battle, I heard a portal open; it sounded glitchy. Before I knew it, my friends had been transported back home, and a portal under me provided an escape; I had to thank Error for that later. Paps quickly followed me through the portal, and we found ourselves at home. As I fell to the ground, I was helped up by the glitchy family member and set on a couch; he sat next to me.</p>
<p>"Sorry I couldn't get there sooner; I'd make an excuse, but I don't think there's really <em>any</em> excuse for <em>this." </em>Error sighed.</p>
<p>"I-it's okay.." I clutched my broken arm. "I'm just glad you <em>d-did</em> come."</p>
<p>"How late <em>was</em> I?"</p>
<p>"P-Paps?" I would have told him, but Paps deserved credit.</p>
<p>"Almost three hours, brother." Papyrus answered. </p>
<p>"Thanks, Paps, you're th-the best. Paps says almost three hours.."</p>
<p><em>"Three hours?!" </em>Error was shocked. "How did you manage to <em>stay up</em> that long?! Not that I'm complaining, but that's <em>way</em> past your endurance levels!"</p>
<p>"Determination doesn't c-care about endurance..I'm surprised, too."</p>
<p>"You should probably get some rest; you must be <em>exhausted."</em></p>
<p>"I would, but i-it hurts t-too much.."</p>
<p>"Agh..I wish I had some way to heal you. Sorry."</p>
<p>"I-it's okay..I might just p-pass out.."</p>
<p>"Well, I'll get Nightmare to look at you once he wakes up."</p>
<p>"The others..need m-more help. I'll be fine."</p>
<p>"Dust, there's a crack in your skull that's a quarter of an inch wide and three inches long; you're <em>not</em> going to tell me that you'll be <em>fine."</em></p>
<p>"Mmm..good night.."</p>
<p>"Good night, Dust."</p>
<p>After this exchange, I shut my eyesockets and fell asleep, into another dusty nightmare; this soothed me. The battle had worn me out to unhealthy levels, and I wasn't going to be getting up confidently for a while. I was glad that we spread more negativity than we needed to, because I didn't feel like I could do <em>that </em>again if I <em>had</em> to. When the dust of my nightmare passed, I saw the faces of my family, and I smiled.</p>
<p>"Heya, Dusty!" Killer was overjoyed to see me awake; he looked like he was being resigned to crutches for a while.</p>
<p>"How long was I out?" I yawned. </p>
<p>"Two days." Error replied. "You were <em>really</em> exhausted."</p>
<p>"Real hurt, too." Horror sighed.</p>
<p>"Wh-when is he going t-to heal?" Cross questioned. </p>
<p>"This could take a while.." Nightmare responded. "I believe I've healed his leg enough to enable movement, but he's going to need to rest his arm for a while. His skull should heal naturally with time. Overall, it wasn't <em>too</em> bad, but it was bad, nonetheless."</p>
<p>"He sure fought long!" Killer complimented. </p>
<p>"Yes, close to three hours <em>is</em> quite an accomplishment; you should be proud of that, Dust."</p>
<p>"I only lasted because of Paps." I smiled at him. "He fought the hardest."</p>
<p>"Oh, brother!" Paps laughed. "You really <em>should</em> give yourself some credit!"</p>
<p>"Nah, Paps, it was all you. You're the best."</p>
<p>"I say you <em>both</em> fought hard." Error compromised. "In any case, you've surpassed your previous record by more than an hour; <em>that's</em> impressive."</p>
<p>"So, can we play now?" Killer was eager.</p>
<p>"Fine, but keep it <em>relaxed!"</em> Nightmare reminded. "Your legs are <em>less</em> than healed!"</p>
<p>"Don't need legs to play <em>backgammon!"</em></p>
<p>"All right; I'll go fix a meal; you boys play safe."</p>
<p>"Okay, Dad!" We harmonized; Error laughed at our childishness.</p>
<p>"Let's play!" Killer got a backgammon board from <em>nowhere </em>and set up a game.</p>
<p>We played backgammon for a while in alternating teams, having a <em>ton</em> of fun as we did. Error was the acting referee; I wasn't sure if we really <em>needed</em> a referee for backgammon, but I wouldn't question it. After a few hours of playing, Nightmare came into the room and announced that the food was ready; we were certainly hungry. Killer and Cross didn't bother with walking, since they both had suffered one or more fractures in their legs, and they found it much easier to simply teleport. I, unfortunately, had to walk the way to the dining room, which wasn't that bad, really; my room was close enough, and I could walk without too much help - I had a bit of a limp, but I made it work. When we were all seated at the table, we began to eat our food, engaging in conversation as we did; we were really a family. Our wounds would certainly heal, and we didn't have to go out again for a while, which meant we had time to play games.</p>
<p>My family was happy.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean ow.</p>
<p>They shall be children soon, no worries.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my fighting writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 2 - Plot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been three months since the opposition against my family began; we weren't doing good. We had all suffered broken bones and bruises from this, and it just seemed to be getting worse; we <em>would</em> endure, but it would be hard. At the moment, we were preparing to go out once more, and we were dreading it a bit. Before long, Killer had about twenty knives ready, Cross had mentally prepared himself, Horror found his axe, Nightmare had the medical supplies on standby, Papyrus is the best, and I was ready for battle. Error was going to meet us in the universe, which we were okay with; he sometimes did that. We entered the portal hesitantly, but we made it. The universe was a bit of a darker one; we had the advantage in darker ones most of the time, but not always. We began to do our job, and we continued for twenty minutes before our adversaries showed up; we silently hoped they were just here to admire the scenery, but that was obviously <em>not</em> the case. We prepared ourselves for a tough battle, which no doubt lay ahead, as Ink stepped up and gave his age-old phrase.</p>
<p>"Nightmare and gang!" Ink yelled. "Leave this AU, or we <em>will</em> use force!"</p>
<p>"Not a chance." Nightmare stated; we hadn't had enough time to restore the balance.</p>
<p>"Brother, please!" Dream pleaded. "It doesn't have to happen like this!"</p>
<p>Nightmare said nothing.</p>
<p>"Then we'll fight." Ink was ready.</p>
<p>Battle broke out once more, and we split into our groups; Nightmare fought Dream; Killer, Horror, and Error fought the swap brothers; and Cross and I handled Ink. The first half hour was pretty normal; we could push through that. It was in the second half of the first hour that the other side pulled ahead once again. Nightmare was evenly matched with Dream, which led to no problems with them. Cross and I were being slightly overpowered by Ink, which was normal - he <em>was</em> the Protector of Alternate Universes. Killer and Error were dealing with the swapped Sans together for a moment, which meant Horror was fighting the swapped Papyrus; that wasn't the best thing ever. It only got worse when the swapped Papyrus injected Horror with something that made him incapable of fighting; he fell. It actually looked <em>incredibly</em> painful, and I was surprised the swapped <em>Papyrus </em>would do something like that; I hoped Horror would be all right. The battle continued, and we couldn't stop and stare. Ink seemed unusually excited today; he looked very happy as he swung his brush at Cross and me - I took notice of that, but I couldn't focus on it because the battle was moving too fast.</p>
<p>When the battle reached the forty-five minute point, something unfortunate happened. Error was pinned by a couple bones, and he received the same injection as Horror, causing him to lose consciousness; I was a bit worried about what it could have been if it put <em>Error </em>out of commission that <em>fast</em>. Killer was now alone against the swap brothers, and he would be receiving no help unless Cross and I could defeat Ink somehow. Nightmare seemed to still be evenly matched with Dream, but we were losing. Within ten minutes of Error's fall, Killer was brought down as well; that wasn't good. I was beginning to despise that needle. Cross and I used as much teamwork as we possibly could to defeat the trio, but we only managed to knock out the swapped Sans; this enraged the swapped Papyrus, who managed to separate Cross and me, leaving me with Ink. After seventy minutes of strenuous battle, I noticed that Nightmare had fallen; I didn't realize that before. In the split second that I had taken to process that information, Ink took the chance to seize one of my arms; he had a ridiculously strong grip, and I was forced to drop one of my knives.</p>
<p>Ink had a sadistic smile lighting up his expression as he assisted the swapped Papyrus in taking out Cross, all the while crushing my left forearm with his bare hand. I couldn't struggle; it was of no use. Cross was quickly pushed out of the battle and received the same injection as the others, going unconscious. Ink and the swapped Papyrus soon looked to me, and I was forced to the ground. That injection hurt worse than a broken bone. In my last moments of consciousness, I heard a portal opening beneath me; I hoped it was good news. I had a very pleasant dusty nightmare as I slept, and it soothed my arm greatly; I believed Ink fractured something with his grip - I hoped it wasn't true. I enjoyed watching the dust swirl around in my dream; that was nice. When I finally awoke, I had a huge headache; that wasn't nice. I rubbed my skull in an attempt to ease the pain; it helped a little, and I noticed that my arm was thankfully unbroken - that was good. I yawned and stretched for a while before thinking of getting up; I was too tired, and the living room floor was decent enough after battle. As I turned over, I noticed that my jacket seemed more comfortable than it usually was; it almost felt like a blanket: warm, soft, large-</p>
<p>My jacket wasn't supposed to be large.</p>
<p>I rubbed my eyesockets in disbelief; my jacket was..<em>big?</em> Or..was I <em>small? </em>I figured that my best course of action would be to either panic or remain calm; I decided to remain calm - somebody else could take the panic route. I took a few deep breaths and examined the situation; I was small, my clothes were huge, and I wasn't dreaming. Thankfully, Papyrus was here to calm me down; he's the best.</p>
<p>"Brother?" Paps was in awe.</p>
<p>"Paps...tell me I'm not dreaming.." My voice was <em>high?!</em></p>
<p>"You're certainly <em>not</em> dreaming, brother. You're absolutely <em>adorable!"</em></p>
<p>"Aww, thanks, Paps! You're the best!"</p>
<p>"I am the Great Papyrus!"</p>
<p>"So, what should we do?"</p>
<p>"I am not quite sure, brother. You seem to have become a child."</p>
<p>"Kinda figured that. What about the others?"</p>
<p>"They seem to have also turned into children."</p>
<p>"So..we're kids."</p>
<p>"Indeed!"</p>
<p>"Welp, I guess I'm going to act my age!"</p>
<p>"Wonderful idea, brother!"</p>
<p>"Thanks, Paps."</p>
<p>I stood up shakily; my clothes were <em>way</em> too big. After I gained my footing, I stumbled over to Nightmare, who was actually the second biggest child here - Error was the largest. When I made it to him, I sat down and began to poke his skull until he decided to wake up; Killer had often done this to me, and it was a surefire way to wake somebody up. After about a minute of this, Nightmare began to groan and concede to my poking; it always worked.</p>
<p>"Can't I have a <em>minute?" </em>Nightmare's voice wasn't as high as mine, but he seemed to recognize a problem; he passed it off as incorrect hearing.</p>
<p>"Your clothes shrank with you." I pointed out. "You're lucky.."</p>
<p>"What is <em>that</em> supposed to mean?"</p>
<p>"I feel like we're in one of your stories.."</p>
<p>"I still have <em>no</em> idea what you're talking about.." Nightmare decided to open his eyelight at this point, and he was greeted with a tiny Dust with a disproportionately sized hood. "Um..D-Dust?"</p>
<p>"Yeah?"</p>
<p>"Am I..d-dreaming?"</p>
<p>"Nope. Paps already confirmed that. Welcome to small land?"</p>
<p>"I'm..going back to bed.."</p>
<p>"Night, Dad!"</p>
<p>"Good night.." Nightmare hesitantly laid his skull back down and shut his eyesocket to think about what he had just witnessed.</p>
<p>"What should we do <em>now,</em> Paps?"</p>
<p>"Perhaps you can try to wake up Error; he could provide help." Paps responded. </p>
<p>"You're the best, Paps."</p>
<p>"I am the Great Papyrus!"</p>
<p>After this, I stood up once more and made my way over to Error, who was actually a cute kid; we were probably <em>all</em> cute kids. Nightmare was the only one with correctly-sized clothes, though. I never really understood how Nightmare <em>washed </em>his clothes, or even if he <em>did,</em> but they always seemed to fit him, unlike mine, apparently. I finally reached Error and sat next to him, beginning to perform the poking method; Error's reaction was <em>much</em> quicker than Nightmare's, waking up within ten seconds of the start.</p>
<p>"Agh!" Error's voice sounded...<em>not glitchy? </em>His eyesockets shot open. "What? Why is my voice like..<em>this?!"</em></p>
<p>"I believe we have been turned into children." I helpfully supplied.</p>
<p>"Oh dear..this is weird. I sound like a kid..and you do, too.."</p>
<p>"We <em>are</em> kids..Paps said so, which means it <em>must</em> be true!"</p>
<p>"Oh. Remind me <em>why we're children?!"</em></p>
<p>"I think it was the injection..it makes the most sense, anyway."</p>
<p>"So <em>Ink</em> turned us into kids?"</p>
<p>"I guess so. It's really not <em>that</em> bad. At least we weren't captured.."</p>
<p>"I guess. Do you know how <em>ridiculous </em>we're going to look when we show our faces?"</p>
<p>"Ink could be arrested for child abuse if he tries anything." I giggled at that thought.</p>
<p>"Okay, <em>that's</em> funny." Error chuckled with me.</p>
<p><em>"I'm small!" </em>A voice yelled - loudly, I might add. <em>"My dreams have come true!"</em></p>
<p>"We're <em>all</em> small!" I laughed harder.</p>
<p>"Dusty!" Killer quickly rose to run to me, but he tripped over his jacket. "Why did the clothes <em>not</em> shrink? The clothes <em>always </em>shrink in stories!"</p>
<p>"This isn't a story." Error reminded. "This is Crazytown, and I'm the mayor."</p>
<p>"Can I be the sheriff?" </p>
<p>"Sure."</p>
<p>"Yay! Dusty, you shall be my deputy! Deputy Dusty!"</p>
<p>"I forgot my cowboy hat at the last ranch." I snickered.</p>
<p>"Let's play! We're the right size for it!"</p>
<p>"What should we play?"</p>
<p>
  <em>"Backgammon!" </em>
</p>
<p>"Maybe we should wait for the others to wake up.." Error suggested. "And maybe get smaller clothes.."</p>
<p>"Oh, right." Killer lifted his giant sleeves. "These are<em> huge!"</em></p>
<p>"S-something isn't r-right here.." It seemed as if Cross had woken up. "Wh-why am I t-tiny?"</p>
<p>"We're kids." I enlightened. </p>
<p>"I-I've never been a k-kid before..d-does it hurt?"</p>
<p>"No, but our clothes are too big."</p>
<p>"O-oh." Cross struggled under his layers. "I-I can't move."</p>
<p>"We gotcha, Crossy!" Killer began to approach Cross, and Error and I followed.</p>
<p>We began to help Cross stand up, while barely standing ourselves, and found that his wardrobe was <em>complicated.</em> Horror woke up while we helped Cross, and he seemed completely fine with the thought of being a child; he liked it. After about an hour, Cross was up, and Nightmare was on his way to accepting childhood. He was still called Dad, though; he wasn't a small child like Cross, Killer, Horror, and I were. Once we had thoroughly comprehended our situation, we pulled ourselves onto a couch to discuss what we were going to do next; we could all fit on one couch, which was weird, yet it was strangely familiar. I supposed I sat on the couch with Papyrus a lot when I was little. We eventually decided that we would find some clothes that actually <em>fit</em> us first, since we were struggling with our old attire; my pants were bigger than my body - that wasn't normal in any way. Thankfully, Nightmare had a storage room with clothes of all sizes, and we found some tiny jackets, pants, and shoes that fit us. It was weird that Nightmare <em>had</em> storage rooms with these things, but they sure came in handy when we needed them. After this journey, we returned to the living room.</p>
<p>"So, what do we do next?" Error was still getting adjusted to his voice.</p>
<p>"I have no idea." Nightmare was dumbfounded. "We are tiny."</p>
<p>"I like bein' tiny!" Killer jumped.</p>
<p>"I's cool." Horror admitted. "Liked bein' a kid."</p>
<p>"I-I've never been a k-kid before..i-it's weird.." Cross moved his tiny phalanges curiously. </p>
<p>"Paps says we're cute." I giggled.</p>
<p>"Well, at least Dust's brother is getting a laugh out of it." Error shrugged.</p>
<p>"I have the <em>best</em> <em>idea ever!"</em> Killer rubbed his hands together.</p>
<p>"What would that be?" Nightmare was intrigued.</p>
<p>"What if we <em>acted our age?"</em></p>
<p>"You mean act like <em>children?"</em> </p>
<p>"Yes!"</p>
<p>"Half of us don't even know how to <em>do</em> that."</p>
<p>"That's nonsense! We've been actin' like kids for <em>years!"</em></p>
<p>"I's true." Horror admitted.</p>
<p>"Well, I <em>guess</em> we could <em>try</em> it." Nightmare acquiesced.</p>
<p>"Yay! Thanks, Dad!" Killer was ecstatic.</p>
<p>"Sure. What do you propose we do when we have to go out, though?"</p>
<p>"Um.."</p>
<p>"Charge Ink with child abuse." I chuckled.</p>
<p>"Perhaps." Nightmare snickered. "We'll deal with that later; perhaps we can enjoy this time."</p>
<p>"Yay!" We were excited.</p>
<p>The next few hours were filled with games and fun, and we enjoyed every second. Being tiny was actually <em>really</em> exciting, and we certainly made the most of it, even building a fort in the living room; we were going to have to clean it later, but we enjoyed it while it lasted. Being a child was actually a <em>ton </em>of fun! Paps really liked cute things, and we were apparently being cute, which made everything awesome! Paps is the best. When we finished our games, we found ourselves more tired than usual; I guess being a kid had certain restrictions - we would have been able to stay up <em>way</em> longer before. We decided to sleep in our fort - it was a <em>big</em> fort - instead of our beds; we liked the fort. Before we fell asleep, Nightmare told us a happy story to guide us, and when we fell asleep, we were happy. Ink had probably intended to turn us into kids to make us angry or confused, but he forgot the fact that we were children at heart, and our outside form didn't matter to us as long as we were together.</p>
<p>We were a family, no matter what we looked or sounded like.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family children.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my childish writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 3 - Unprecedented</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been about a week since we were turned into children, and we had been having the time of our <em>lives!</em> Acting our age was pretty easy when it was how we acted normally; we were <em>very </em>childish. We continued school and training as usual, and we adjusted to our tiny bodies nicely; apparently I was the smallest - almost two feet high was short! - which I didn't mind, since I liked being small. We were preparing to go out for the first time since we were turned into children, and we were thinking of how we were going to pull it off; children terrorizing universes were not very scary - other than human children, of course. We decided to just wing it and see what happened; in the worst case scenario, we got laughed at - that didn't bother us. We just had to spread negativity, and that was what we were going to do! We picked a universe that could be scared of <em>anything,</em> and we had about half an hour before our adversaries arrived. They tried not to laugh at our condition, but they couldn't help it; Dream was the only considerate skeleton there - he only chuckled, slightly, and he even masked it with a cough. Ink stepped forward with his speech after he regained his composure.</p>
<p>"Nightmare and gang!" Ink laughed as he said this. "Okay, I can't. This...this is <em>too</em> <em>funny!"</em></p>
<p>"We're not <em>that</em> small!" Nightmare complained.</p>
<p>"You-You're so <em>tiny!"</em> Ink couldn't stop laughing.</p>
<p>"And here we have the <em>'compassionate'</em> Protector. Watch the way he laughs at these tiny children, mocking their size."</p>
<p>"Okay..okay, I'm done." Ink calmed himself down. "Nightmare and gang! Leave this AU, or we <em>will</em> use force!"</p>
<p>"That's <em>child abuse!"</em></p>
<p>"You're not even <em>real children!"</em></p>
<p>"That doesn't matter!"</p>
<p>"We're fighting <em>anyway!"</em></p>
<p>The battle soon began, and it was becoming quite clear that being a child was <em>not</em> an advantage in battle; attacks had to be dodged <em>quickly,</em> and if we were hit, we received more rebound than when we were adults. Ten minutes into battle, Nightmare and Error had been forced through portals against their wills; the adversaries were trying to capture us, and they were <em>doing</em> it. Pretty soon, Horror was captured as well, and Killer, Cross and I were the last ones in battle. Cross was grabbed from behind and pushed through a portal before Ink grabbed Killer and I by our jackets and carried us through one of his openings, securing victory. When we reached the other side, we noticed that we were in a colorful room with six beds. I didn't like where this was going. Ink dropped Killer and I after we were relieved of our (many) weapons, leaving us with the rest of our family; after this, Ink left the room, and we heard a lock click. We were as trapped as children in a locked room. On the bright side, we had no doubt that Ink <em>meant</em> for us to turn into children, and we were not dead yet. We gathered in the center of the room to converse.</p>
<p>"This is crazy." Error stated. </p>
<p>"Maybe it's kiddie jail." Killer guessed.</p>
<p>"Lookin' like i.'" Horror admitted.</p>
<p>"I-I don't like th-this." Cross confessed.</p>
<p>"We just need to remain calm; we'll get through this." Nightmare comforted.</p>
<p>"This should be interesting.." Papyrus pondered; he's the best.</p>
<p>"Beds are soft." I mentioned, hopping onto one. </p>
<p>"Ooh, they <em>are!"</em> Killer felt the soft fabric of the blankets and pillows.</p>
<p>"I guess looking at the bright side is paying off." Error found the softness soothing.</p>
<p>"Wonder why they'd pu' us 'n a room wi' windus." Horror hummed.</p>
<p>"With <em>what?" </em>Killer didn't understand Horror's phrase.</p>
<p>"Windus." Horror pointed to a window.</p>
<p>"Ohh, window. Got it!"</p>
<p>"I-I think the f-fall is enough to keep u-us from j-jumping.." Cross looked down the drop; it was over twenty stories.</p>
<p>"Is now a good time to develop an irrational fear of heights?" I wondered. </p>
<p>"No." Nightmare pulled me away from the window that I had walked up to. "Let's just stay <em>far</em> away from the windows."</p>
<p>"Okay."</p>
<p>"I would catch you if you fell, brother!" Papyrus assured.</p>
<p>"Thanks, Paps. You're the best."</p>
<p>After a few minutes, we heard the lock unlatch, and the door opened, revealing Ink, Dream, and the swap brothers. They locked the door after they entered.</p>
<p>"I bet you're wondering what's going on!" Ink said.</p>
<p>"Not really." Nightmare could care less.</p>
<p>"No interest whatsoever." Error shrugged.</p>
<p>"We're fine wi' bein' small." Horror responded.</p>
<p>"Don't n-need an ex-explanation." Cross joined.</p>
<p>"The square root of pie is more pie." Killer stated.</p>
<p>"That has no relation, but okay." I didn't question it.</p>
<p>"Um.." Ink was confused. "We turned you into kids."</p>
<p>"We know." We harmonized. </p>
<p>"We figured the last try at reforming was a bit underplanned, so we've come up with a new idea!"</p>
<p>"No reforms." I was stern. </p>
<p>"Yes reforms." Ink glared at me. "We decided that kids would be much easier to control and teach, hence, <em>kids!"</em></p>
<p>"That logic makes no sense." Nightmare deadpanned. "We're just <em>smaller, </em>not <em>dumber."</em></p>
<p>"You're also adorable!" The swapped Sans was in awe of our size. "You don't seem <em>half</em> as scary when you're tiny!"</p>
<p>"I resent that." Error growled, but the swapped Sans only found it more adorable.</p>
<p>"So we'll be teaching you how to be good little children, and you'll be together, so no worries!" Ink smiled. "We'll go over the rules now!"</p>
<p>"Rules are stupid." Error was determined to match his will against Ink's. </p>
<p>"No, they aren't. Right, the rules are as follows: no trying to escape, pay attention to the lessons, be polite, no rough housing, stay away from the windows, no weapons, meals are scheduled - and they're not just tacos; that was a mistake - you have a bedtime at eight o'clock-"</p>
<p>We groaned at the mention of a bedtime; that was <em>unheard of </em>in our family.</p>
<p>"It isn't <em>that </em>bad." Ink rolled his eyelights. "Continuing, just because you're small does <em>not</em> mean we expect you to act like children, but I guess if we say that, you'd do it on purpose, so we<em> will</em> expect you to act like children. The room is completely childproofed, with soft blankets and pillows, and stuffed animals everywhere, I guess. Who..put the stuffed animals everywhere?"</p>
<p>"I couldn't help it!" Dream chuckled nervously. "Nightmare liked stuffed animals <em>before,</em> so I'd expect him to <em>now!"</em></p>
<p>"Huh. Well, they <em>might </em>help. If you want to do any activities, please <em>ask</em> for whatever you want; we want to make you feel as comfortable as we can during this process. Reforming criminals <em>will</em> be hard, but I <em>know </em>we can succeed <em>this time! </em>Any questions?"</p>
<p>"I got a question." Killer smirked.</p>
<p>"Please, ask."</p>
<p>"Do you <em>really</em> like stuffed animals?" </p>
<p>"What?!" Nightmare was surprised. "W-well, maybe a little..but j-just the big ones..the <em>scary</em> ones..yes, the scary ones..totally."</p>
<p>"That was the most adorable thing <em>ever!"</em> Dream squealed.</p>
<p>"No, it wasn't!" Nightmare was embarrassed.</p>
<p>"Does this 'kid' thing wear off?" Error wanted his old jacket back.</p>
<p>"Not that I know of.." Ink thought for a moment. "I guess we'll find out."</p>
<p>"The' thin's 're <em>soft!" </em>Horror was impressed.</p>
<p>"Well, we designed them to be some of the comfiest things in the entire multiverse; we want you to feel <em>comfortable</em> as we reform you."</p>
<p>"Can we just <em>not</em> be reformed?" I hoped.</p>
<p>"That isn't really an option."</p>
<p>"Wh-what are you planning t-to do after you've all-allegedly <em>'reformed' </em>us? L-lock us up in s-some forsaken universe?" Cross knew Ink's true nature.</p>
<p>"Of <em>course</em> not!" Ink laughed. "We'll simply find places for you in normal society!"</p>
<p>"What if we don't <em>want</em> places in normal society?" Nightmare would have much rather gone home.</p>
<p>"Well, at least you won't be terrorizing AUs anymore."</p>
<p>"I feel like this's gonna end badly." Killer sighed.</p>
<p>"That's temporary! Well, we're going to arrange a few things; you stay occupied!"</p>
<p>Ink, Dream, and the swap brothers left the room, locked the door, and left us to our own devices. </p>
<p>"Wanna break every rule within a minute?" Killer was scheming.</p>
<p>"Yes!" We confirmed happily.</p>
<p>"Okay! I wanna try to escape!"</p>
<p>"I'll stan' near the winduw." Horror grinned.</p>
<p>"I can get a weapon!" I plotted.</p>
<p>"We shall rough house." Nightmare took Error to the side.</p>
<p>"I-I'll be rude to this st-stuffed animal." Cross picked up a teddy bear.</p>
<p>"Ready?" Killer asked.</p>
<p>"Ready!" We answered. </p>
<p>"Let's do this!"</p>
<p>After this, we went about our rule breaking, just as we planned. Killer began to try to escape in some creative ways, even ramming the door with a giant stuffed animal. Horror leaned against a wall that was in between two windows; he was breaking the rule thoroughly. Nightmare and Error initiated a training fight that was <em>way </em>less intense than their usual ones, but it qualified as breaking the rule. Cross was being rude to the teddy bear; it counted. I had the task of finding some way to make a weapon, which was easy with pencils; there was a small desk in the corner of the room. We had broken all the rules we could think of, and it was actually <em>fun; </em>we liked this. After about five minutes of constant rule breaking, the lock of the door was unlatched, and Ink walked in, looking quite unimpressed. Without saying a word - which freaked us out - he took my makeshift weapons, broke them, and set all of us in the middle on the room. After this, he began to speak.</p>
<p>"So.." Ink scoffed. "You've decided to act like children, eh?"</p>
<p>We nodded.</p>
<p>"Well, we planned for that." Ink grinned. "If you're going to <em>act</em> like children, we're going to <em>treat</em> you like children. You're being awfully bad; do you know what we <em>do</em> to <em>bad children?"</em></p>
<p>"Give them candy?" Killer hoped.</p>
<p>Ink chuckled. "No...we <em>teach them a lesson."</em></p>
<p>That unsettled us; we didn't like where this was going.</p>
<p><em>"One at a time."</em> His expression became somewhat dark.</p>
<p>Ink grabbed Killer's jacket and dragged him out of the room, leaving us to worry; we worried. Ink wasn't the nicest person, by a <em>long</em> shot, and we knew that. We hoped Killer would be all right, but we doubted it; his emotional state could have made him an easy target if Ink had a mind to manipulate it, and Ink <em>was</em> known for manipulation. What the multiverse saw good about him was honestly beyond us. The sheer fact that he was practically <em>ignoring</em> Horrortale should have been at least <em>some </em>indication that something was off, but that was apparently not the case. Ink and Killer had been gone for about an hour by the time our worrying doubled, and we were <em>severely</em> concerned for Killer's well-being; for all we knew, Ink could have been brutally <em>torturing</em> him! We hoped that wasn't the case, but with Ink, we expected it. When we finally heard the lock unlatch, Ink was carrying a crying Killer; we wanted to fight, but we couldn't while Ink was holding him. When Killer was dropped, we rushed to his side; he looked scared, but he wasn't injured - that was good. After we had a minute with Killer, Ink picked up Cross and transported him out of the room, against our wishes. We worried more. After a few minutes, Killer stopped crying.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" Nightmare doted.</p>
<p>"Yeah.." Killer wiped his tears away. "Just..scared.."</p>
<p>"What'd he do ta ya?" Horror was ready to deal out justice.</p>
<p>"He..he knows what we're scared of.."</p>
<p>"What?" Error didn't understand. "How could he <em>possibly</em> know <em>that?"</em></p>
<p>"I dunno, but it <em>works!" </em>Killer was scared. "He told me..he told me that we'd all be..all be punished differently.."</p>
<p>"What did he do to <em>you?"</em> Nightmare inquired.</p>
<p>"He...he locked me in a dark room..I c-couldn't see!" Killer cried.</p>
<p>We hugged Killer; he needed it. After he was completely calmed down, he allowed us to ask more questions.</p>
<p>"What's he planning to do to the <em>rest</em> of us?" Error wondered. </p>
<p>"Um..I think he said Crossy gets locked in a room with a cow, he's gonna beat up Horror and Error, Nightmare has to sit in a completely positive room, and he didn't say anythin' about ya, sorry, Dusty."</p>
<p>"Remind me how <em>nobody </em>thinks this guy is evil again?" I sighed.</p>
<p>"This is stupid." Error commented.</p>
<p>"Hope Cross's a'ight." Horror sat down on a bed.</p>
<p>"Yes, that <em>is</em> a concern.." Nightmare admitted. "His fear is <em>not</em> something to take lightly.."</p>
<p>"How're we gonna get out of here?" Killer asked.</p>
<p>"I'm not sure.."</p>
<p>"Aww man!"</p>
<p>"I suppose we'll wait, then. Something will happen soon."</p>
<p>"Yeah, Cross'll probably be terrified when he comes back." Error pitied Cross.</p>
<p>"Indeed."</p>
<p>About an hour later, Ink returned with the shaky Cross and absconded with Horror, who wasn't thrilled. Cross was very shaken from his experience, and he only wanted to hug somebody; he wasn't in the mood to talk, and we could understand that. After this hour, Horror was swapped with Error, and he didn't look very good; he had lots of bruises, but nothing was broken, thankfully. At this point, we realized that Ink was <em>deadly</em> serious about ensuring our obedience; he wasn't going to tolerate our normal behavior. When this hour had passed, Error was returned in exchange for Nightmare; I wondered why I was last. Error looked worse than Horror did, and we were determined to help him. We quickly hugged him and tried to distract him from the pain; he had suffered a broken leg - apparently, Horror was lucky. We managed to make him forget about the leg and played a game with him; it almost felt like we were home. When Ink came back with Nightmare, he gave us a minute to see him; he looked horrible - positivity really took a toll on him. When my jacket was inevitably grabbed, I knew there was no use to struggle. I wondered what was going to happen next.</p>
<p>The hallways were long, and Ink seemed to be excited to get to our destination; I didn't like that. Papyrus told me a few stories along the way to calm my nerves; he's the best. I really appreciated the way Papyrus was always trying to make me feel confident, even when I knew I wasn't. Sometimes, he actually <em>did</em> make me forget about the dread I had, further proving that he <em>is</em> the best. Papyrus finished his third story of the walk when Ink opened a door; I assumed it was our destination, and I was correct. The room looked pretty menacing by itself, having dark walls and a complicated lock on the door; Ink set me on the floor and began to lock the door as I took a better look at the room. It was actually just a chair in the center with not much else; I hoped I would just be sitting in this room for an hour, but I doubted it. Papyrus told me another story as I waited for Ink to finish locking the door. When he completed his task, he picked me up once more, set me in the chair, and tied me up with a rope. The rope was tight.</p>
<p>"Now that we're all set up, would you like to know what you'll be <em>getting?"</em> Ink seemed <em>way</em> too happy for this scenario.</p>
<p>"Not really." I really didn't. </p>
<p>"That's to be expected. In that case, I won't take the time to tell you!" Ink reached into his pocket.</p>
<p><em>"Wait!</em> Maybe..maybe yes?" I would have rathered to know than <em>not</em> to know at the moment.</p>
<p>Ink chuckled. "Golly, you're paranoid, aren'tcha? Well, <em>since</em> you asked, I'll tell you! This little thing <em>here..." </em>Ink pulled what looked to be a finely sewed, multicolored bracelet out of his pocket. "is going to do some <em>pretty</em> messed up stuff!"</p>
<p>"A <em>bracelet?"</em> I was still nervous, but I wasn't <em>as</em> nervous.</p>
<p>"Oh, this isn't just <em>any</em> bracelet! This is a highly advanced device that we're currently <em>testing out, </em>and <em>you're</em> our lucky test subject!"</p>
<p>"This is child abuse!" </p>
<p>"Eh, you're available, and we couldn't think of any <em>other</em> way to tor-<em>punish</em> you, so, here we are!"</p>
<p>"I <em>know</em> what you were about to say."</p>
<p>"No, you don't. Now put the bracelet on."</p>
<p>"No!"</p>
<p>"You don't exactly have a choice in the matter." </p>
<p>Ink proceeded to grab my arm and place the bracelet on my wrist, which didn't actually hurt; it felt like a regular bracelet. There was silence for a few seconds as Ink checked his other pockets for something else; he pulled out a small remote control - I <em>really</em> didn't like where this was heading. With a malicious grin, he pressed a button, and a searing pain shot up my arm. Ink was having <em>fun</em> with this; I certainly was <em>not, </em>and I was <em>very</em> vocal about it. When he pressed the button again, I found myself in no pain at all. He pressed another button, which moved my arm against my will; that was a <em>very</em> odd feeling, but it soon stopped, and I was back to normal. He continued pressing buttons, each having a different effect on me; some hurt, others were passive, and a few didn't seem to have any effect at all - my skull simply hurt a bit, but that wasn't much. When Ink pressed the last button, I felt a <em>very real</em> effect. My soul began to hurt tremendously; I immediately knew what had happened - the magic restorer was forcefully <em>turned off.</em> I <em>despised</em> that bracelet. When Ink reversed the effects, the restorer turned back on, but it seemed that Ink knew what had happened, and he was planning to take <em>full</em> advantage of it. He pushed one of the buttons that simply made my skull hurt once more, untied me, and took me back to the room, where I was forcefully thrown onto the ground.</p>
<p>After Ink left, my family rushed towards me.</p>
<p>"Are ya okay, Dusty?" Killer hugged me.</p>
<p>"I'm not sure.." I honestly replied. "Ink did something.."</p>
<p>"What did he do?" Nightmare was serious.</p>
<p>"He can..turn it off."</p>
<p>"That's impossible!"</p>
<p>"Apparently not.."</p>
<p>"Don't worry, Dusty!" Killer hugged me tighter. "We'll protect ya!"</p>
<p>"Thanks.."</p>
<p>"U-um..Dust?" Cross looked concerned about something.</p>
<p>"Yeah?" I turned to him, and Killer let me go.</p>
<p>"A-are you just g-going to ignore y-your brother?"</p>
<p>"What do you mean? I'd <em>never</em> do <em>that."</em></p>
<p>"H-he's trying to g-get your attention.."</p>
<p>"Really?" I looked around. "I don't..see him?"</p>
<p>"Wh-what are you t-talking about? H-he's right <em>there!"</em> Cross pointed to the air.</p>
<p>My eyelights widened. "N-no..."</p>
<p>"D-Dust?"</p>
<p>"I c-can't.." </p>
<p>I fainted.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean not in good spot.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my dramatic writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. 4 - Routine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We had been in Ink's little reform school for about a week now, and we weren't happy. I was unable to see or hear my brother, which made me sad; I wanted to see Paps. He's the best, and if I couldn't see him, I couldn't shower him in affection like he deserved, and Cross said he was <em>sad</em> about it! Papyrus was <em>sad,</em> and I couldn't <em>help him! </em>Now, the only indication that my brother was there was his floating scarf; I was glad that he had it. I had also learned something from this event, and it was that Ink knew that my brother was a ghost; he had purposely made me lose my ability to see my brother, and he was vocal about it. I didn't even care that he knew; I just wanted to see my brother. I spent a lot of time with my family in an attempt to make myself forget that my brother wasn't visible. We tried not to break rules after the first day, since we didn't like the consequences. At the moment, it was 7:57 P. M., and we were playing games. We played often, and it wasn't questioned, since we <em>were</em> technically children; being little had its perks. Killer was delighted to know that the other side was <em>somewhat</em> civil, actually owning a backgammon board.</p>
<p>"Yes!" Killer had won again. "How many is that?"</p>
<p>"Forty-three." We all replied. </p>
<p>"You're too good at this!" Error hadn't gotten the hang of the game yet.</p>
<p>"You'll get it!"</p>
<p>"I doubt it."</p>
<p>"Let's play again!"</p>
<p>"No way, try somebody else! I have <em>had</em> it with losses!"</p>
<p>"Dusty?"</p>
<p>"No, thanks..I'm just..not in the mood.." I was thinking about Papyrus again.</p>
<p>"I'll play you." Nightmare stepped in.</p>
<p>"Yay!" Killer set up the game quickly and began to win another game.</p>
<p>"Y-your brother wants to say h-he loves you." Cross stated softly.</p>
<p>"Thanks." I was thankful that Cross would tell me what Paps wanted to say. "I love you too, bro."</p>
<p>Before we could continue, the lock unlatched, and Ink walked in.</p>
<p>"Bedtime!" Ink declared; we sighed. "Come on, clean up and get ready for sleep."</p>
<p>The game of backgammon was quickly put away, and we were soon lined up for Ink to make sure we weren't up to anything; he always made sure. It wasn't like we were going to risk <em>anything</em> after the first day; the consequences were perfectly tailored to prevent that. Ink checked our pockets, nonetheless, and he found nothing. He always made sure to scour every corner of the room for anything convicting, which meant we weren't going to get away with <em>anything</em> we tried; it was simply impossible. After half an hour of our standing in line, Ink had finished his searching, coming up empty handed. He returned to us, faced us, and smiled.</p>
<p>"You're certainly being well-behaved, aren't you?" Ink was pleased on the outside, but we knew what he wanted on the inside. "Time for bed, then. Off you go!"</p>
<p>At this, we each scurried to the bed we were assigned to; Ink was mad if we were slow - he wasn't very nice. When we reached our soft blankets and pillows, we tucked ourselves in and closed our eyesockets; the beds really <em>were</em> soft, and we could fall asleep in comfort almost immediately - that didn't mean we <em>enjoyed it, </em>though. We would have <em>much</em> rathered being home in our <em>own </em>beds. After we were all in our places, Ink said good night and turned out the lights, leaving us in the dark to sleep. Once the lock was latched firmly in place, I closed my eyesockets, ready for sleep; I was tired, and the blankets were soft. After I had received an hour of sleep, I was softly woken up by Cross, who looked afraid; I assumed he had had a nightmare, and, as customary with our family, I was the one to go to - I didn't mind. I sat up to meet Cross, and he wasted no time in getting ready to tell me about his problem, sitting next to me and leaning on my shoulder; this was <em>his</em> comfortable spot, and I allowed him to take it with ease.</p>
<p>"D-Dust?" Cross stuttered.</p>
<p>"Yeah?" I yawned <em>quietly;</em> I didn't want thim to think I didn't care.</p>
<p>"I-I had a n-nightmare.."</p>
<p>"Take your time."</p>
<p>"W-well, i-it was about I-Ink.."</p>
<p>"I understand."</p>
<p>"I-it was h-horrible!" Cross began to cry; I put an arm around him and soothed him.</p>
<p>"Shh, it's okay now. You're safe. You're <em>safe."</em></p>
<p>"B-but..what about.."</p>
<p>"Don't think about it. Just focus on something else; anything will do."</p>
<p>"O-okay..th-thanks, Dust."</p>
<p>"No problem. You're always welcome to take some time t- <em>agh!"</em> I gripped my left arm.</p>
<p>"Wh-what's wrong?" Cross was worried.</p>
<p>"What are you doing up at <em>this</em> hour?" Ink had set off the bracelet I was forced to wear, and it hurt. He turned it off to allow me to explain.</p>
<p>"He had a nightmare!" I rubbed my arm. "What was I <em>supposed</em> to do? <em>Not</em> help him?!"</p>
<p>"I see. Cross had a <em>nightmare.</em> Why did he come to <em>you?"</em></p>
<p>"Be-because Dust is good at h-helping with nightmares!" Cross explained.</p>
<p>"Hm. Fine, I'll let <em>this</em> slide. There are going to be a few regulations on <em>nightmares</em> in the future. Go back to bed, now." </p>
<p>"O-okay.." Cross dejectedly walked to his soft bed and prepared to go back to sleep.</p>
<p>"All right.." I lay back down in my bed and pulled the warm blanket over me.</p>
<p>"Good night." Ink left the room.</p>
<p>I closed my eyesockets once more, and I fell asleep again. I found myself more tired after the pain shot up my arm, and I descended into a dusty nightmare rather quickly. I enjoyed seeing the dust float around, and the screams made me feel safe; I was weird, but I was aware of it, which made it okay. I <em>knew</em> I was tired when I felt it even in my <em>dream;</em> I got more sleep when we were home, and the lack of it <em>now</em> was taking a toll on me. I couldn't control the amount of rest I got, which was unfortunate, but I could make the most of what I <em>did</em> get during the day. During my nightmare, something odd happened; the dust..<em>cleared?</em> I wasn't sure what was happening, but my nightmare simply disappeared, and it was weird! If I was going to guess what happened, I would have said Dream sensed my nightmare and decided to <em>help</em> with it; I hoped it was just that, anyway. When morning eventually came, I was still tired, and I didn't want to get out of bed; I required at least <em>ten</em> hours of sleep at night, but I had only been receiving <em>eight,</em> which was ridiculous. I had to get out of bed, though; Ink would have gotten angry if I hadn't. When Ink entered the room, we were lined up once more, and Ink searched the room and us again. </p>
<p>Ink was <em>very</em> thorough in his searches, making sure to check under mattresses, pillows, and even holes in the carpet; the carpet was actually almost as soft as the blankets and pillows, which made me want to sleep <em>more. </em>I was yawning as Ink performed his search, and he didn't seem very happy about it, glaring at me; I couldn't <em>help</em> the fact that I was tired! He should have allowed us to get more sleep! When he finished his search of the room, he came up to us and began to search our pockets and hiding places; he was probably more thorough than he needed to be. When he reached me, I was half asleep; I had <em>not</em> gotten enough rest during the night, and it was showing. In return for my obvious lack of sleep, Ink responded with the <em>'compassionate'</em> act of striking me with his brush; that hurt. I didn't really care too much, though; I was now on the floor, and that was soft. Instead of doing the <em>smart</em> thing and getting up, I decided to remain lying on the floor; that didn't go over well. Ink turned off the magic restorer, making me cry out in pain; I was awake now, and Ink allowed me to stand up, joining the others in line. After he turned the restorer back on, he spoke.</p>
<p>"It looks like it's going to be another <em>beautiful</em> day outside!" Ink grinned. "Are you ready for your lessons?"</p>
<p>"Yes.." We replied; we were too tired to complain.</p>
<p>"Great! In that case, we'll be beginning in an hour! Right now, we have a <em>couple</em> little rules to follow. Last night, it came to my attention that some of you get <em>nightmares.</em> Nightmares can be <em>very</em> unhelpful when trying to reform someone, so we have to handle this <em>delicately!</em> If you happen to have a nightmare, please, don't hesitate to ask for help! We're <em>always</em> willing to help out reforming criminals!"</p>
<p>"S-so you're saying w-we can't go t-to Dust anymore?" Cross looked sad.</p>
<p>"Essentially!"</p>
<p>"But Dusty's the <em>best</em> at helpin' after nightmares!" Killer exclaimed.</p>
<p>"And what are you supposed to do when <em>'Dusty'</em> has a nightmare?"</p>
<p>"Dusty doesn't <em>have</em> nightmares!"</p>
<p>"Oh, <em>really?" </em></p>
<p>"Really!"</p>
<p>"Well, then. I guess you're all in for a <em>big</em> surprise tonight. Anyway, I'll be going!"</p>
<p>"What's <em>that</em> supposed to mean?" Nightmare looked mad.</p>
<p>"Why would I <em>tell</em> you?"</p>
<p>"Some <em>reform school</em> this is." Error wasn't impressed.</p>
<p>Ink laughed; it sent shivers down our spines.</p>
<p>"O-oh <em>boy!"</em> Ink couldn't stop laughing. <em>"Reform school</em> is just so I can <em>legalize</em> keeping you here! I could care <em>less</em> if you were <em>reformed!"</em></p>
<p>Ink continued his laughter all the way out the door; it was unsettling. We spent the next few minutes realizing what Ink meant. He was using the reforming as an <em>excuse </em>to essentially torture us, and it was actually <em>obvious! </em>We wondered if the entire multiverse was actually too blind to see this, he was mind-controlling them, or he was just <em>really</em> subtle about it. We decided to just forget about that aspect; the truth would reveal itself eventually, and at that point, we would know. We decided to play some games until something new happened, since we <em>were</em> children. We played some backgammon to get our minds off important matters, and we were ready to face the challenges of the day, whatever they might have been. After a few games, the door was unlocked, and the familiar enemies walked in; Ink never acted even <em>remotely</em> cruel when they were around, which meant we were probably safe. We were quickly seated on the floor and given a <em>reforming</em> lesson, which we didn't really care about; Ink didn't care about it, which meant we didn't have to, <em>either.</em> When the good enemies left, Ink stayed behind to <em>'talk,'</em> which probably meant he was either going to inflict pain on us or something else equally as bad.</p>
<p>"Wasn't that a great lesson?" Ink smiled.</p>
<p>"No." We responded together; it really wasn't.</p>
<p>"Fair enough. I have a surprise for you!" </p>
<p>This didn't sit well with us. Ink pulled some bracelets that looked exactly like the one he made me wear out of his pocket, and he forced the others to wear them.</p>
<p>"There! Now you're all <em>matching!"</em> Ink seemed proud. </p>
<p>"What, do you think <em>these</em> are going to keep us in line?" Error scoffed.</p>
<p>"Of <em>course not."</em> Ink chuckled. "They're just because I want to."</p>
<p>"Want to <em>what?"</em></p>
<p>Ink simply pressed a button, and we were all in agony; he was cruel. When he left - a few <em>hours</em> later - we weren't doing so well; we wished we could charge him with child abuse or assault. He had committed both. When we healed from the experience, we talked for a while about possible ways to escape, but we found nothing; we needed a way out. After a few more games of backgammon, the time had again reached the dreaded "bedtime hour" that we despised so much. We were lined up once again as Ink began his search of the room; we were also incredibly <em>tired,</em> which led to more than one of us being slammed to the ground. When Ink finally allowed us to go to bed, we quickly rushed to our beds and crawled under the blankets; that was a safe place. As soon as Ink left the room, I shut my eyesockets and fell into a dusty nightmare. I was <em>exhausted,</em> and I couldn't <em>wait</em> to get to sleep. I felt content with my dream, and I was happy; that didn't mean that I didn't feel Ink trying to use the bracelet to force me to be scared, though. He was a real pain sometimes, but I didn't let him affect me; I simply enjoyed the soft bed and floating dust.</p>
<p>I didn't <em>like</em> being there, but at least I had my family.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family ow.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my ridiculous writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. 5 - Watch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We had been in captivity for about a month at this point, and we were honestly sick of it. Ink treated us horribly, the reforming wasn't even <em>working,</em> and to top it all off, they were going to resort to <em>'more intense reforming tactics,'</em> which probably meant we were going to be in more pain. In addition to our problems, the balance was also <em>wavering.</em> It would be slow at first, but if we weren't going out to <em>do our job,</em> negative emotions would disappear, and Nightmare would probably <em>die.</em> We were going to have to do something soon; Nightmare was already becoming ill. The enemies passed it off as a cold, but we knew better; Nightmare was going to <em>dust</em> if we couldn't find a way to spread negativity. We had no way to <em>do</em> that, though; we <em>had</em> to think of something. If we didn't find a way within half of a week or whenever it started to get <em>seriously</em> bad, Nightmare was going to <em>have</em> to allow us to tell the other side about our job, whether he liked it or <em>not.</em> We <em>weren't</em> going to lose our dad. Currently, we were standing in our line again, and Ink was searching our room; Nightmare didn't look very well at the moment. Ink wasn't <em>thrilled</em> when Nightmare looked like he was going to pass out, but he didn't act on it - yet.</p>
<p>When Ink finished searching the room, he came up to us and performed the second phase of his searching, which we had all been accustomed to. He searched every possible hiding spot in our clothes we could have ever thought of, which took roughly twenty minutes, making today's morning search last about an hour and a half; we <em>hated</em> standing for that long without being able to do <em>anything.</em> When Ink <em>finally</em> finished his entire search, he left the room, allowing us to sit down; we were tired out. Even <em>Killer</em> wasn't up to playing after searches; they just felt so long. We lay on the floor, wishing for a way out; there was nothing. After a while, the door was softly opened; this wasn't Ink's usual hard opening. We looked to see Nightmare's brother, Dream, with a soft smile and a caring outlook; that probably wasn't good for the balance - I decided to retain my negative appearance to preserve <em>something.</em> Dream sat next to us and looked sorry for his brother, not even thinking that he could have been part of the cause of Nightmare's sickness. He offered his brother some comfort, which wasn't optional; Dream hugged his brother, who couldn't fight it. Nightmare couldn't have returned the gesture if he <em>wanted</em> to; he was too weak from his illness.</p>
<p>We wished so much that we could just tell the enemies about the balance <em>now,</em> but we promised not to until we were completely sure that we absolutely <em>had </em>to. It was actually comforting to see Dream's affection towards Nightmare, but that wasn't good for the balance. After a few minutes, Killer couldn't take it anymore; he cried. Dream looked concerned.</p>
<p>"Um..are you..okay?" Dream asked. </p>
<p>"F-fine.." Killer managed to get out; Nightmare seemed to slightly benefit from Killer's crying.</p>
<p>"Do..you need help?"</p>
<p>"No.."</p>
<p>"I can..try to cheer you up?"</p>
<p>"Don't cheer me up! I like bein' sad!"</p>
<p>"How could you..<em>like</em> being sad?"</p>
<p>"Well, he has a thing with emotions, and he happens to like the sad ones." Error quickly filled in. "There's really <em>no need</em> to cheer him up!"</p>
<p>"O-oh." Dream was confused, but he didn't question it further. "So, are you..enjoying yourselves?"</p>
<p>"Be better home." Horror sighed.</p>
<p>"Being s-small isn't v-very fun.." Cross wanted to be big again.</p>
<p>"May I ask what it is that you don't like here?" Dream questioned. "Maybe we can do something to make you feel more welcome."</p>
<p>"We could do without <em>Ink."</em> Error hinted.</p>
<p>"You don't like Ink, do you?"</p>
<p>"No." We harmonized. </p>
<p>"Well..maybe I can help! Maybe until you get used to Ink, you can sometimes have someone <em>else</em> watch you?"</p>
<p>"That..actually sounds <em>nice."</em> Error admitted.</p>
<p>"I only want what's best for you.."</p>
<p>"Um..th-thanks." Cross was relieved.</p>
<p>"No problem!" </p>
<p>At this point, the positivity was getting to be a bit much for Nightmare; he was whimpering.</p>
<p>"Oh, I hope his illness isn't <em>bad.."</em> Dream sighed, pulling Nightmare closer. "I wish I could help.."</p>
<p>We sat in silence for a while, watching Dream hug his brother; they really <em>did</em> care for eachother, even when they were apart. Nightmare was probably enjoying his time with his brother, even if he couldn't say anything; it was <em>really</em> bad, but we couldn't say anything yet. It was a pleasant sight, but I remained negative, if only to help Nightmare; I wished we were home. If we were home, we could have done our job without Nightmare being on the verge of death. Instead, we were stuck in this prison, hoping that Nightmare would <em>live. </em>After a while, something unexpected happened; Dream began to..<em>cry?</em> The Guardian of Positivity was actually <em>crying;</em> we were in shock. It wasn't even pity crying, like he did for Cross; it was <em>real. </em>A few moments later, something else happened; Nightmare shifted, and he wrapped his small arms around his brother - it was heartwarming. It looked as if Dream's sudden burst of negativity actually helped Nightmare a <em>lot;</em> he didn't seem to be in pain anymore. I wondered how long that would have held him. After a while, Dream decided to leave us; he was needed somewhere else, even if he <em>wanted</em> to stay. Nightmare looked a lot better when he left.</p>
<p>"Are ya okay?" Killer worried.</p>
<p>"Actually, <em>yes."</em> Nightmare smiled. "I don't know <em>how,</em> but Dream..<em>reset</em> the balance; it's perfectly stable!"</p>
<p>"That's interesting." Error pondered. "I wonder how."</p>
<p>"He <em>di'</em> cry a lo.'" Horror pointed out. </p>
<p>"Y-yep!" Cross confirmed.</p>
<p>"Perhaps an outburst of negativity from a positive being could do that?" I input.</p>
<p>"Perhaps." Nightmare stated. "In any case, we have more time to think of a plan."</p>
<p>"Wanna play?" Killer inquired. "All this sittin' around is makin' me stiff!"</p>
<p>"Sure." We replied.</p>
<p>"Yay!"</p>
<p>We played games for a few hours until bedtime hit, and we were lined up once again. Ink seemed to notice Nightmare's improved condition, but he didn't ask about it. After the hour and a half search, we were permitted to go to our soft beds and fall asleep, which we did. I wished I could see Papyrus; he's the best, and if I couldn't see him, I couldn't say good night to him. I said good night anyway, but I had no way of knowing if he heard me; I felt lonely. I was happy that Nightmare was healthy again, though; his being ill was unfortunate. As I slipped into my dusty nightmare, I had a happy feeling for the future; perhaps Dream <em>was</em> going to do something about Ink. I hoped so. I really wanted to see less of him. When I was woken up, I noticed that it wasn't as early as usual; I knew because I wasn't as tired as I usually was. The clock on the wall said it was past 7 A.M.; that meant that I had received my full <em>ten hours</em> of sleep! I shifted my eyelights to see the two swap brothers <em>softly</em> waking me up instead of Ink's usual rough treatment; I guess Dream<em> did</em> do something. Upon seeing that I was awake, the brothers smiled at me and moved on to wake up the others; that was <em>much</em> different than what I had been accustomed to. </p>
<p>The others were woken up in the same soothing manner as I was, and this morning felt a lot more <em>relaxed</em> than usual; we liked that. When Cross woke up, he relayed a few things that Paps wanted to say to me, which I appreciated immensely; Paps is the best. After we were all awake, instead of being put in a line, we were asked what we wanted to play; that was interesting. The swap brothers were actually really <em>nice,</em> unlike Ink, and they played some games with us. Over the next few hours, we were actually having a lot of fun, which was probably a surprise for the swap brothers, who didn't think it was possible. When the day was half over, the swap brothers had been thoroughly introduced to <em>our</em> version of fun, which they found absolutely amazing; they didn't know that "murderers" liked to play hide and seek or backgammon. After a while, we were all lying on the floor; we were a bit tired out - we had more endurance when we were bigger for some reason. As we lay on the ground, we were happy; we didn't have to worry about the effects of that for a while, thankfully. Killer broke the silence first, as always.</p>
<p>"That was fun.." Killer smiled.</p>
<p>"Yep." Error agreed.</p>
<p>"Real excitin.'" Horror stretched; he was tired.</p>
<p>"I wish we could do that every day.." Killer stated. </p>
<p>"That would be nice.." Nightmare was falling asleep.</p>
<p>"I never thought I'd ever hear <em>you</em> say <em>that </em>before today." The swapped Papyrus was starting to understand us.</p>
<p>Cross laughed. "M-maybe not!"</p>
<p>"You guys are really <em>fun!"</em> The swapped Sans giggled.</p>
<p>"Really?" Error was surprised.</p>
<p>"Yes! You're the <em>best</em> at games!"</p>
<p>"I wouldn't be so sure about that.." I was thinking of Paps; he was the best.</p>
<p><em>"I</em> am! You're all super cool! Why'd you wanna make people sad when you could be their friends instead?"</p>
<p>"It's...complicated." Nightmare sighed. </p>
<p>"It doesn't make sense.."</p>
<p>"Not everything makes sense." Error said.</p>
<p>"But..<em>why?"</em></p>
<p>There was silence. We didn't want to talk about it. Nightmare didn't want Dream to find out about his plight, and Error didn't want <em>anyone</em> to find out about <em>his.</em> Things like that were just painful to talk about, and the rest of us respected that; respect was strong in our family. Respect: a specific feeling toward another individual that produced a feeling of duty or compassion. It was amazing how little respect the other beings in the multiverse had for eachother; some were simply cruel, others were ignorant, and still others seemed like they thought <em>they</em> were the center of everything. My family didn't think that way. We respected privacy - for the most part - and actually cared when someone was sad. Ink didn't have any respect; he wouldn't bother to save someone's life unless there was something in it for him, and he <em>certainly</em> wouldn't respect <em>our</em> privacy, which meant he probably wouldn't respect anyone <em>else's.</em> We hoped the swap brothers had enough respect to allow us to keep our thoughts to ourselves; we knew that if <em>they</em> knew, they would have told somebody. In our silence, most of us actually fell asleep; we were tired out from all that playing, and our endurance was <em>much</em> lower than it was before.</p>
<p>I was one of the few that managed to stay awake, although I was <em>ridiculously </em>tired. Killer and Error managed to keep themselves from falling asleep as well, but they were in much the same situation as I was. The swap brothers were also awake, but they had more endurance, which was to be expected; they <em>were</em> adults. When I finally felt ready to drift off to sleep, I shut my eyesockets and allowed myself to be surrounded with dust; I was happy. I hoped the balance wouldn't tilt again for a while; I <em>really</em> didn't want Nightmare to have to go through <em>that</em> again, but I knew it would probably eventually happen, unless we found a way to escape this prison. I really didn't want us to be here for longer than we <em>had</em> to be, but I couldn't really control that. All the escape attempts we had made so far were foiled swiftly and repaid with pain; we couldn't take too many more losses, especially after the last attempt. The last attempt was almost foolproof, but Ink found a way to stop us, unfortunately, and we suffered for it; Ink really <em>was </em>cruel. That was a fact. I enjoyed watching the dust of my nightmare float around, though; that was <em>something </em>good about this situation. I had my family, too, which was reassuring.</p>
<p>We could handle anything.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family meet swaps.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my outlandish writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. 6 - Wonder</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We had been stuck in the kiddie prison for three months. We hated it. Killer had a pet knife back home waiting for him, Horror couldn't see his brother, <em>I</em> couldn't see <em>my</em> brother, Error wasn't able to destroy corruption in universes, Cross was bored, and Nightmare told us that the balance was on the verge of wavering <em>again. </em>We wanted to go home. We didn't outwardly <em>show</em> that we hated it, though; we didn't find it worthy enough of our attention to do that. Instead, we played; that was our main activity, and we did it well. Playing was always an option, especially when you were a child. We had to deal with Ink's chaos every <em>third</em> day instead of <em>every</em> day thanks to Dream's compassion, even if he didn't know what Ink <em>did</em> to us; we were <em>very </em>thankful for that. Most of our time was spent playing either by ourselves or with the swap brothers and Dream, who were frequent visitors. It didn't feel like they saw us as murderers anymore; it felt more like they saw us as <em>children.</em> We liked that. We actually <em>liked</em> being seen as children; we could play games and have fun, and nobody thought it was weird! That was the <em>only</em> good thing about it, but it was good nonetheless. We were happy. </p>
<p>Today was, fortunately, <em>not</em> an Ink day, which meant we were allowed to sleep later and play more; we enjoyed that. Dream and the swap brothers claimed that they had something <em>special</em> to do with us today, which made it seem exciting. The entire idea of <em>'reforming'</em> was pretty much dropped when the enemies started seeing us as children instead of killers; there were no more lessons on being good people when we just wanted to have fun like children. If I had to put it into the simplest phrases I could think of, I would say that we were basically adopted by our enemies, and Ink was the figurative "evil stepmother" - even if he wasn't a girl, he fit the description - while Dream and the swap brothers were the exciting sibling/parent figures. Nightmare was always going to be our dad, though; nobody could take that from him. The enemies didn't seem much like enemies anymore; they seemed more like..<em>friends.</em> We were currently playing in our room alone; the friends were doing something to prepare for the special event they had planned. We wondered what it was, but we weren't going to guess yet; we <em>wanted</em> to be surprised. We were currently playing I Spy, which was suggested by Papyrus; he's the best.</p>
<p>"I spy with my little eyesocket..something blue!" Killer exclaimed. </p>
<p>"Th-the sky?" Cross guessed.</p>
<p>"Nope!"</p>
<p>"The wall?" Error assumed.</p>
<p>"No!"</p>
<p>"Yer jacke'?" Horror looked at Killer. </p>
<p>"Close, but no!"</p>
<p>"Horror's jacket?" Nightmare questioned. </p>
<p><em>"Super close! </em>Dusty, you're the last guess!"</p>
<p>"Hmm.." I thought for a minute. "I got nothing."</p>
<p>"Come on!" Error pleaded. "You're the <em>last hope!"</em></p>
<p>"Well, fine. Hmm..<em>my</em> jacket?"</p>
<p>"Nope!" Killer giggled. "It was my shoe!"</p>
<p>"Aw man!" Error looked sadly at Killer's shoe. "That was rigged!"</p>
<p>"No it wasn't!" Nightmare laughed. </p>
<p>"Maybe not, but I still say it was!"</p>
<p>"Le's play somethin' else.." Horror suggested.</p>
<p>"O-okay!" Cross pondered the subject for a moment. "H-how about we p-play ship?"</p>
<p>"Yeah!" Killer jumped onto his feet. "I call bein' captain!"</p>
<p>"Scout!" I quickly claimed.</p>
<p>"Navigator!" Nightmare grinned.</p>
<p>"Cook." Horror had a toy pan.</p>
<p>"C-co-captain!" Cross smiled.</p>
<p>"What's left?" Error wasn't sure.</p>
<p>"Um..cabin boy?" Killer shrugged.</p>
<p>"Can I be captain of the rival ship?"</p>
<p>"Sure! Come, my crew!"</p>
<p>Killer hopped on a bed and helped the rest of us on, while Error took his own; we were now having sea warfare. Captain Killer spotted a rival ship coming up on the port side; we turned to see the infamous Captain Error ready for battle. We loaded the cannons with stuffed animals - cannonballs - and began to fire at the opposing ship. War raged on for about half an hour before we were clearly winning, and Captain Killer offered a deal to Captain Error. </p>
<p>"So, Captain!" Killer used a pirate voice. "Are ye ready for surrender?"</p>
<p>"Argh!" Error giggled. "Never!" </p>
<p>"Hmm..I'll bribe ya."</p>
<p>"With what?"</p>
<p>"Friendship?"</p>
<p>"Deal."</p>
<p>"Yay!"</p>
<p>"So, Captain!" Navigator Nightmare chuckled. "Where to?" </p>
<p>"Argh! To the Isle of Seaweed!"</p>
<p>"Aye aye, Captain!"</p>
<p>We continued the rest of our game, eventually arriving at the Isle of Seaweed, where we bargained with Captain Lock-Key for his famed lock and key set, which could open <em>anything.</em> After this venture, we opened a treasure chest, finding the legendary teddy bear of Ligland! We were on our way to deliver the teddy bear to a trader who would pay a hefty price for it when the door was unlocked. Dream and the swap brothers entered the room and greeted us, to which we responded happily; they were nice to us, and we gave kindness to them in return. Anybody kinder than Ink was good enough for us, and they were <em>much</em> kinder than Ink; Ink was <em>very </em>cruel to us - not that Dream and the swap brothers knew that. </p>
<p>"What are you doing now?" The swapped Papyrus looked around the room.</p>
<p>"We're pirates!" Killer jumped. "Teddy bear delivery service!"</p>
<p>"Pirates who deliver teddy bears?"</p>
<p>"Not just <em>any</em> teddy bear! The <em>legendary teddy bear of Ligland!</em> We shall sell it for a fortune!"</p>
<p>"Who's buying it?" The swapped Sans asked.</p>
<p>"Somebody!"</p>
<p>"We need somebody to be the trader.." Error confessed.</p>
<p>"I can do it!" The swapped Sans volunteered.</p>
<p>"Really?" Killer was excited.</p>
<p>"Sure!"</p>
<p>"Yay! Co-captain Crossy! Retrieve the teddy bear!"</p>
<p>"Aye a-aye!" Cross picked up the teddy bear and brought it forth. </p>
<p>"As you may see, this teddy bear is worth a fortune." Nightmare used his selling techniques. "How much are you willing to pay?"</p>
<p>"Um..a sprinkle?" The swapped Sans pulled a sprinkle out of his pocket.</p>
<p>"Amazing!" Killer acted impressed. "Sold!"</p>
<p>The teddy bear was traded for the sprinkle.</p>
<p>"Well, it's time to show you the surprise we have!" Dream seemed excited. "Are you ready?"</p>
<p>"Ooh, what is it?" Killer was always the most ecstatic about these things.</p>
<p>"Close your eyes!"</p>
<p>We closed our eyesockets, ready for the surprise; it was obviously something special if we had to. We felt our tiny hands being grabbed, and we were led somewhere. We were excited about what the surprise could have been if we were actually <em>leaving the room.</em> It must have been something <em>super</em> important, which just made us <em>more</em> excited! While we were walking, we speculated about what it could have been silently; I hoped it was seeing Papyrus - I wanted to see him again. He's the best, and he needed somebody to listen to what he had to say; I wanted to <em>hear</em> what he had to say. We walked for quite a while, and Killer <em>really</em> wanted to look, but he would refrain for as long as he could; he wanted the surprise to be a <em>real</em> surprise. After about ten minutes of walking, we were finally allowed to open our eyesockets; we were in a different room, with lots of chairs. We admired the sheer amount of chairs that could be fit in the large room, and we wondered what the room was used for. Before we could ask any questions, the swapped Papyrus answered the first one without having to be asked.</p>
<p>"This is the meeting room." He enlightened. "It's pretty big, isn't it?"</p>
<p>"It's <em>huge!" </em>Killer was in awe.</p>
<p>"Nice." Horror liked the windows.</p>
<p>"What's the surprise?" Nightmare was curious.</p>
<p>"Well, we were going to let you meet some people!" The swapped Sans grinned. "Of course, if you don't <em>want</em> to, that's perfectly fine!"</p>
<p>"P-people?" Cross was timid. "Wh-what kind of p-people?"</p>
<p>"Oh, just a <em>few</em> friends. We wouldn't introduce you to the entire <em>multiverse </em>at the same time!"</p>
<p>"It could be fun!" Dream pointed out.</p>
<p>"Um..could we think about it?" Error hoped.</p>
<p>"Of course!"</p>
<p>We sat in a corner of the room and discussed the situation. We didn't know how the other people would react to us; we didn't even know how <em>we </em>would react to <em>them!</em> We didn't really <em>want</em> to meet anybody new, but we didn't want the surprise to be ruined because of it; we wanted the friends to be happy, and if that meant being uncomfortable for a while, we would do it. We also thought that it would be better to get it over with sooner, since we would eventually <em>have</em> to meet other people; we didn't want to stay in that room <em>forever. </em>We had made our decision; we just hoped it was the <em>right</em> one. After preparing ourselves, we returned to the friends and relayed our answer to them; they seemed happy that we were willing to take this step, and they promised that we didn't have to do anything that we didn't want to. This calmed us immensely. When we were ready, we were seated in some chairs and waited for the people - we hoped there weren't a lot - as the friends left us to retrieve them. After a few minutes, a blindfolded pair of skeleton brothers were brought into the room and seated in front of us; they seemed excited. From our universe studies, we deduced that this pair was from Outertale.</p>
<p>"Why do we need blindfolds to meet new friends?" The Outertale Papyrus, Starstruck, wondered.</p>
<p>"They're <em>very</em> shy, and they might not feel comfortable yet." Dream revealed. "We don't want to make them feel uncomfortable."</p>
<p>"Makes sense." The Outertale Sans, Outer,  shrugged. "So, are they new to the multiverse?"</p>
<p>"Not..<em>really.."</em></p>
<p>"Just never been properly introduced?"</p>
<p>"Yep, we're really trying to help them make a great <em>first </em>impression."</p>
<p>"Cool. How many are <em>they?"</em></p>
<p>"One..two..three..six!"</p>
<p>"Well, I'm sure you'll help them make a great first impression."</p>
<p>"Okay, are you ready to say hello?"</p>
<p>"Not..really?" Nightmare was a bit worried; the Outertale brothers were <em>not</em> happy when we worked in their universe.</p>
<p>"Well, we shall remedy that!" Starstruck was sure. "Hello, new friends! I am called Starstruck, and this is my lazy brother, Outer! We come from a land of stars! Where do <em>you</em> come from?"</p>
<p>"Um..all over?" Error honestly replied.</p>
<p>"So, different AUs?" Outer assumed. "That's interesting. Known eachother long?"</p>
<p>"Yep!" Killer smiled.</p>
<p>"You have tiny voices!" Starstruck noticed.</p>
<p>"They're children!" The swapped Sans enlightened.</p>
<p>"Oh, how nice!"</p>
<p>"Don't get many kiddie AUs.." Outer seemed pleased. "How'd you kids meet?"</p>
<p>"Chance." Horror responded.</p>
<p>"Interesting. Have you known eachother for long?"</p>
<p>"Y-yep." Cross fiddled with a loose string on his small jacket; he still wasn't used to <em>not</em> having his old clothes.</p>
<p>"Well, I'm sure you'll meet lots of new friends in the multiverse, while keeping your old ones, of course."</p>
<p>"Maybe." Nightmare shrugged.</p>
<p>"I don't..think so." Error wasn't convinced.</p>
<p>"Why do you say that?" Outer wondered. "Haven't you made any friends yet?"</p>
<p>"J-just a few.." Cross said.</p>
<p>"Well, we shall be your friends!" Starstruck was certain. "Who are your <em>other</em> friends?"</p>
<p>"Dream and the swap brothers..they're nice." Error looked at them, receiving kind smiles.</p>
<p>"That's great!"</p>
<p>"Have you met <em>Ink</em> yet?" Outer inquired. "Is he a friend?"</p>
<p>"N-no.." Cross probably knew Ink the best out of all of us, having known him for <em>far too long.</em></p>
<p>"Haven't met him, or not a friend?"</p>
<p>"N-not a friend.."</p>
<p>"Interesting."</p>
<p>The friends noticed that we weren't too thrilled about the topic of Ink in general; the swapped Sans took it upon himself to change the line of discussion to something brighter. The conversation actually lasted for quite a while, and the Outertale brothers seemed to be really <em>nice.</em> They didn't seem <em>at all</em> like we had known them before; they were strong fighters. We stayed away from Outertale for the most part after the first visit, but there were some occasions when we <em>had</em> to: some original universes had their <em>own</em> balance that needed to be maintained, and Outertale just so happened to be one of them. After two hours of talking, there was actually a small line of trust forming, although it was <em>very</em> small. The Outertale brothers seemed to want to be our friends, but they didn't know our names or our faces; we feared that the moment they saw us, the growing friendship would shatter, and we didn't want that. We were actually interested in becoming friends with somebody new; we just didn't know if we could pull it off. If we ever had to go back to our old job - which was highly likely if we ever escaped that kiddie prison - we would have probably had to work in the universe of our new friends, and that wouldn't have been very <em>friendly </em>of us. That was most of the reason why we stayed to ourselves most of the time; why make friends if you had to hurt them?</p>
<p>"So you're saying that with the proper training, even a <em>human</em> could possess magic without having to be born with it?" Nightmare was intrigued.</p>
<p>"Essentially, but the chances of it happening are <em>very</em> low." Outer shrugged. "Over a hundred resets and Super's still trying, though; I'm honestly fine with it, as long as there are no <em>ulterior motives."</em></p>
<p>"A human with magic could be <em>really</em> difficult in a genocide run.." Error contemplated. </p>
<p>"Yeah, but I'm holding to the hope that if it does happen, it won't carry over through resets. A limited time would be fun, though."</p>
<p>"Mayhaps" Horror wasn't sure. "Be a lotta work."</p>
<p>"Probably."</p>
<p>"It would be <em>exciting</em> to see a human with magic!" Starstruck liked the idea. "Perhaps they could be as skilled as <em>me!"</em></p>
<p>"That would be impressive. Starstruck's actually <em>pretty</em> skilled in theatrical magic."</p>
<p>"Interesting." Nightmare enjoyed this conversation. "What kind of theatrics?"</p>
<p>"I can create mini stars that fill up rooms!" Starstruck giggled. "It's quite fun!"</p>
<p>"W-wow!" Cross liked stars.</p>
<p>"Yep." Outer smiled. "He puts on shows <em>all the time."</em></p>
<p>"Is there anything else you would like to talk about?" Starstruck asked.</p>
<p>"Um..what's your honest, unaltered opinion of Nightmare's gang?" I needed to know. </p>
<p>"Uh..that was sudden." Outer seemed a bit unsettled. "How do <em>you kids</em> know about Nightmare's gang?" </p>
<p>"It's common knowledge, right?" Error covered.</p>
<p>"I guess. They're just plain rude. This <em>conversation</em> we're having? They wouldn't have that with you. I'd just stay away from them if I were you."</p>
<p>"Do ya think there's even a <em>little</em> good in them?" Killer hoped.</p>
<p>"I don't know. They go around being rude and hurting others; what kind of people even<em> do</em> that?"</p>
<p>"Wh-what if..they h-had a <em>reason?" </em>Cross questioned. </p>
<p>"Believe me, I <em>wish</em> I could believe that, but in every case I've ever thought of, there's always been a better way. You'd think that if they had a reason, they would have asked for <em>help, </em>or <em>something,</em> but they <em>don't.</em> They just..don't."</p>
<p>"What if they didn't want to hurt anybody with their reason, because it would cause pain?" Nightmare frowned.</p>
<p>"Maybe..if it was someone they truly <em>cared </em>about..then <em>maybe</em> I could believe it. Star's been trying to convince himself of the same thing ever since they first showed up. You know, I bet if Nightmare's gang met <em>you</em> kids, they'd probably give up being evil; children like you are just too precious."</p>
<p>We giggled at that statement; we <em>had</em> technically done that when we were captured. Dream and the swap brothers, on the other hand, were processing what we had just revealed. We decided to let it all come out; we probably weren't escaping anytime soon, which meant we were going to have to find another way to keep the balance - we couldn't do that if we were stuck in a room all day. We also didn't want Nightmare to become ill again; <em>that</em> was a bad experience. </p>
<p>"Do you think..even the worst people can change?" Error quoted.</p>
<p>"Our personal opinions?" Outer contemplated. </p>
<p>"Ye.'" Horror confirmed. </p>
<p>"Yes, I do!" Starstruck nodded.</p>
<p>"Hm.." Outer thought. "Yeah. I'll believe it."</p>
<p>"In that case.." Nightmare stood up. "I guess we'll find out."</p>
<p>Dream and the swap brothers were either shocked or impressed - maybe a bit of both - as Nightmare walked toward the Outertale brothers. He stood on the tips of his phalanges and got his small hands to move the blindfolds out of the way; we hoped this was a good idea. When the Outertale brothers' eyelights were adjusted to the shift in light, they saw a tiny Nightmare's gang; that was probably a bit surprising, and their expressions showed it. They stared in silence for a minute before the conversation was continued; at least they didn't attack us, I guess.</p>
<p>"Wait..you..<em>you're Nightmare's gang?" </em>Outer seemed very shocked. "You're smaller.."</p>
<p>"We were turned into kids." Error sighed. "It isn't the <em>best,</em> but it isn't the <em>worst</em> either."</p>
<p>"Did we just..have a <em>friendly conversation</em>..with Nightmare's gang?" Starstruck tapped his jaw.</p>
<p>"I think we <em>did.."</em> Outer smiled a bit. "And I..<em>liked</em> it."</p>
<p>"Really?" Nightmare was hopeful.</p>
<p>"Of <em>course! </em>You're so much <em>cooler</em> when you're not doing..<em>other</em> things!"</p>
<p>"Wait.." Dream looked concerned. "You mentioned having a <em>reason?"</em></p>
<p>"A reason for <em>hurting?" </em>The swapped Papyrus adopted Dream's expression.</p>
<p>"Oh, yes.." Nightmare chuckled nervously. <em>"That."</em></p>
<p>"We've come <em>this</em> far.." Error shrugged. "Might as well."</p>
<p>"Right.." Nightmare thought of the easiest way to put it. "Um..if we don't do <em>that...</em>the world goes crazy and nobody can feel sad anymore? And I also <em>die?"</em></p>
<p>That answer received a lot of mixed responses.</p>
<p>"You did better last time." Error snickered.</p>
<p>"I'd like to see <em>you</em> explain <em>your</em> livelihood in two sentences." Nightmare challenged.</p>
<p>"I destroy corruption so the original Undertale doesn't get corrupted and we all die. That was <em>one sentence."</em> </p>
<p>"Huh. Yours <em>is</em> easier to sum up than mine."</p>
<p>"It's certainly more straightforward, but <em>I</em> think you did a pretty good job." I complimented.</p>
<p>"At least <em>somebody</em> understood it."</p>
<p>"It was more fun when ya made a story." Killer stated. "You're better at stories."</p>
<p>"Yep." Horror couldn't deny it.</p>
<p>"You want a story?" Nightmare couldn't help but laugh.</p>
<p>"Y-yeah!" Cross grinned.</p>
<p>"Once upon a time, I didn't tell a story."</p>
<p>"That's illegal." Killer gasped.</p>
<p>"Where does it say <em>that?"</em></p>
<p>"In the rulebook I just made up!"</p>
<p>"Has it been <em>notarized?"</em></p>
<p>"Yup!"</p>
<p>"Well, I guess I can't argue with <em>that."</em></p>
<p>"Story?"</p>
<p>"Short."</p>
<p>"Yay!"</p>
<p>"Once upon a time, I ate some apples. It was the worst mistake of my life. Now I have to go around causing mayhem to spread negativity so negative emotions don't disappear; if they do, I also happen to die, which isn't the best case scenario. Was <em>that</em> an enjoyable short story?"</p>
<p>"I'll take it!"</p>
<p>"I think we broke them.." Error pointed out; the five listeners were very much in shock.</p>
<p>"Oh well." Horror laughed.</p>
<p>"Do we w-wait?" Cross tilted his skull.</p>
<p>"I suppose." Nightmare supposed.</p>
<p>We waited for a while in silence, sometimes waving our hands around to gain the others' attention, but it didn't seem to be working. After half an hour, we were getting a bit bored - and hungry - but we decided to wait a little longer; we didn't know our way around, anyway, and the door was probably locked. We decided to play a game for a while until the others finally snapped out of their state of shock. We played an assortment of games that we liked for another half hour before something happened. Dream rushed up behind his brother and hugged him tightly; that was adorable, and the others snapped out of their shock as well, which meant that it was a win for us. Nightmare liked having his brother so close; he still loved him, no matter what had happened in the past. There were a few questions that had to be answered before the day ended, but they were honestly answered, and it honestly felt good. The day continued happily, and the others received <em>quite</em> a lesson in our job, which was exciting; we definitely weren't escaping, but this option was actually comforting, and we were more or less totally honest! We made a big decision, and it turned out well.</p>
<p>There was still one problem, though.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family tell all.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my revealing writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. 7 - Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We were still kept in kiddie prison after five months for <em>one</em> reason: Ink, of course; even if there was no reason to keep us locked up except his villainous whims, we still <em>were. </em>Dream and the swap - and Outertale - brothers still kept us company even on <em>'Ink days,'</em> which made us happier. We were only in danger when we were alone with him; we had those moments, unfortunately. He really wasn't a good skeleton; we had known that since we first came together, but Dream and the others didn't see, even with all the hints we dropped. Ink really had them wrapped around his phalanges, didn't he? Nightmare and Dream had somewhat of an agreement about how to keep the balance in order to prevent death, and it had been working out so far; we didn't know what to do about the corruption, though. Without being able to leave, Error wasn't able to do <em>his</em> job, which was arguably <em>more</em> important than <em>ours.</em> We needed a way to leave, but with Ink in our way, that wasn't happening anytime soon. At the moment, it was an Ink day, and we weren't in a mere <em>little</em> amount of pain; we were in absolute agony, but we were also alone with Ink - that was unfortunate. He laughed at our pain.</p>
<p>I didn't believe that there was anybody in the multiverse as cruel as Ink was; he enjoyed torture - who <em>enjoyed torture?!</em> We didn't get much sleep at all when Ink was present, since he woke us up early and didn't allow us to take naps; it felt like a military camp. In many ways, it was more like a prisoner of war camp, because we had a search in the morning and at night, we had to do whatever Ink wanted us to do, and we were in constant pain the entire time he was in the room; yeah, he was tyrannical in just about every sense of the word. He even managed to time everything perfectly: when somebody was about to enter the room, he always knew, and he always made it seem like we were just playing a simple board game or something as he <em>'watched us'</em> carefully; we wished he would get caught. Just once, we would have liked to see him have to explain why he was abusing children and <em>laughing about it. </em>We wanted to see him as he tripped over his words in a frenzy to make an excuse for the inexcusable. We wanted him gone. We never wanted to have to lay our eyelights on him <em>ever again.</em> Perhaps that was harsh; we didn't think so. When we heard the door being unlocked, we knew we were safe for a while; Dream walked in, completely oblivious to what had just happened.</p>
<p>"Hello!" Dream greeted. "Is everything okay? I thought I heard something.."</p>
<p>"Oh, Nightmare just fell off a bed." Ink answered honestly; <em>he would know.</em> "He's all right now, though."</p>
<p>"Oh no! Maybe I should take a look at him!"</p>
<p>"Of course."</p>
<p>Dream quickly made his way over his brother, who was most certainly <em>not</em> all right, but was crying - in fact, most of us were; Ink was mean. Dream wasted no time in wrapping his arms around Nightmare and offering the required comfort, which Nightmare gladly accepted; Dream was nice. Ink had no choice but to allow us to have some time to heal as Dream decided to stay for a while, and we were almost certifiably safe when the swap brothers joined the party; we could relax for a bit. Ink watched with a bored expression as we played various games and defied his authority with relative ease; he couldn't hurt us in front of his <em>'friends,'</em> and we didn't have to listen to a word he said, which made everything better. We played for about an hour before Ink made an excuse for the others to leave; he was clever, but we knew better. When Dream and the swap brothers left to 'check on Underfell's inhabitants,' which obviously would have taken a while, Ink turned to us with an angry expression; we were frightened. It wasn't that Ink scared us, but rather, that we couldn't do anything to stop him. As children, we were severely weakened and couldn't fight back with much strength. </p>
<p>"Now that they're gone.." Ink approached us and grabbed Killer and me - the two that ignored him the most; I was starting to regret that decision. "Let's play our <em>own</em> game."</p>
<p>"Let them go!" Nightmare grabbed Ink's arm with one of his appendages, only to be flung across the room.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid not." Ink chuckled; Killer and I struggled as the rest of our family tried to make Ink let us go, failing.</p>
<p>"Put us down!" Killer struggled.</p>
<p>"If you want!" Ink slammed us on the floor; that was a poor choice of words. "Here we go."</p>
<p>"Don't!" I yelled; it was to no avail. "Please!"</p>
<p>"Do you really think your pleads will do <em>anything?"</em> Ink smirked.</p>
<p>Before any more attempts could be made, Ink took his chance to pull one of each of our arms behind us and break them with relative ease, receiving screams of pain. My left arm was snapped, while Killer's right was broken. The rest of our family rushed up to us when Ink finally let go.</p>
<p>"That should be a sufficient lesson." Ink smiled happily; he was sick.</p>
<p>"You'll pay for that!" Error growled.</p>
<p>"I <em>highly </em>doubt it!"</p>
<p>"You're going to be all right..please, <em>please </em>be all right.." Nightmare cried, holding us close, being careful of our arms; we were whimpering.</p>
<p>"Right, what should we play next?" Ink questioned, grabbing Horror and Cross by their hoods; that wasn't good.</p>
<p>"N-nothing!" Cross pleaded. "We-we don't w-want to play!"</p>
<p>"Did I ever say you had a <em>choice?"</em></p>
<p>"Please, let them go!" Error begged.</p>
<p>"Hm..all right." Ink dropped Cross and Horror, but he quickly scooped up Error, who wasn't thrilled, but he was happy that the others were safe. "I'll just play with <em>you</em> for a while."</p>
<p>After three hours of cracks, bruises, and cries, Ink finally let us go; he always made excuses for why we were so beat up after being alone with him, such as: "Killer and Dust thought it would be a good idea to balance themselves on my head," or "Error decided to see what happens when I'm used as a jungle gym." Those were the ones he used this time, and they somehow worked, just like all his other excuses; I wondered if the friends were suspicious of him at all, because we were only injured badly when we were left alone with <em>him. </em>They seemed to believe him, despite our hopes. When Ink finally stopped, Killer had a broken arm and a lot of bruises, Error had been badly beaten, and I had a broken arm paired with some cracks in my skull from trying to stop Ink from hurting Error; we were the worst injured, but we would live. When the friends returned, they were worried about us, but they never suspected that Ink was behind our injuries; we received medical care, though, which was good. When the day eventually ended, we were relieved, since we didn't have to lay our eyelights on Ink for two days; that was pleasant. We spent the two days playing with the friends, and we savored every second of it; we had to - Ink would be coming back soon.</p>
<p>After our two-day reprieve, Ink returned at 4:00 A.M. the next day, ready to give us more pain; we didn't like pain. Pain was commonly used as a warning not to do something again when dealing with children; with us, it was just normal. Every third day, we suffered through pain, and there was no way to stop it. We had tried being obedient, accepting it without a word, and even <em>begging,</em> but he would never <em>stop!</em> He never..stopped. Some of us were starting to accept it as normal; there was nothing else to do. He wouldn't stop unless he was caught, and he would <em>never</em> be caught; we were starting to lose hope. When the morning search was over, we cried without even having to be put through pain; we knew it would come anyway. Ink seemed to enjoy our crying; he was a true <em>monster.</em> With magic and proper medical care, our broken bones had healed already, but they would just be broken again; we knew they would. Ink started out the day by sitting us on the floor and making us watch as he tortured us one by one; we cried harder, even pleading for him to stop, but he wouldn't respond. He would <em>never</em> respond! When Dream walked in at two o'clock, he didn't even notice our underlying pain; Ink made sure of that.</p>
<p>"Hello!" Dream waved. "How are you all doing today?"</p>
<p>"Fine." We answered, knowing the consequences of revealing Ink's torture.</p>
<p>"That's great! I've been thinking, and I've decided to ask you if you wanted to go visit Outertale! The brothers there would love to see you again!"</p>
<p>"Really?" Error was overjoyed; this was a ticket out of torture.</p>
<p>"Of course!"</p>
<p>"We'd love to!" We harmonized; Outertale was a great place to go when you wanted to escape physical harm.</p>
<p>"All right, then! Ink, do you mind?"</p>
<p>"Of course not." Ink acted friendly. "I think it's a <em>wonderful</em> idea!"</p>
<p>"Yay!" We cheered, not because of Outertale - although, that was nice - but because we weren't going to be tortured for a while, which was a huge relief.</p>
<p>"Let's go, then!" Dream opened a portal to Outertale, which we all quickly entered.</p>
<p>Outertale had been a place of comfort and peace for my family ever since Error joined, and it always made us feel peaceful; there were many places to avoid being seen, and even if we <em>were</em> seen, the inhabitants wouldn't usually attack <em>us</em> unless we attacked <em>them</em>. Outertale was known for being a more peaceful universe, and that was what made it so attractive; even <em>we</em> were partly welcomed when we just wanted to stargaze, and when we weren't, we just did it at home. We probably had a better view of the stars at home, but there was just something special about Outertale - we didn't know what it <em>was, </em>but it was special. When we reached Outertale, Ink claimed that he had some business to attend to and couldn't join us, which was <em>great!</em> Dream led us to the home of the Outertale brothers, and we knocked on the door. After ten seconds, the door was unlocked and opened, and we were met with the brothers, who smiled upon seeing us; we had become quite close friends. We were let inside the house and seated on the couch before a friendly conversation was started.</p>
<p>"How have you kids been doing?" Outer smiled; he liked the kid versions of us better.</p>
<p>"Pretty good." Nightmare replied. "It's been nice."</p>
<p>"Yeah! We made a secret base and pretended to be spies!" Killer exclaimed; we did that yesterday.</p>
<p>"That sounds fun!" Starstruck commented. </p>
<p>"It was!"</p>
<p>"Dust, are you all right?" Outer seemed concerned.</p>
<p>"I'm fine..." I was clutching my arm; I was the last one to be tortured by Ink, and my wounds were still bleeding.</p>
<p>"Are you sure?"</p>
<p>"Yeah.."</p>
<p>"Brother, would you help me in the kitchen?" Starstruck needed some assistance.</p>
<p>"Sure, bro." Outer stood to follow his brother to the kitchen. "We'll be back."</p>
<p>"Oh, maybe I can help!" Dream quickly trailed the brothers.</p>
<p>When we were alone, I clutched my arm tighter.</p>
<p>"Dust, are you okay?" Nightmare rushed to my side, taking a look at my arm.</p>
<p>"It hurts.." I rolled up my sleeve. "I think it's cracked.."</p>
<p>"Oh, jus' lemme ge' my han's on 'im.." Horror growled.</p>
<p>"A-as if that w-would do anything.." Cross sighed.</p>
<p>"I think you're right, Dust." Nightmare rolled my sleeve back down. "It's fractured."</p>
<p>"Is it bad?" Error inquired.</p>
<p>"Not as bad as last time, but it won't be comfortable."</p>
<p>"I wish we could just <em>leave.." </em>Killer was sad. "Then he wouldn't be able to touch us.."</p>
<p>"We'll just have to live with it for now..hopefully soon he'll be gone.." Nightmare went back to his seat, and the trio soon returned.</p>
<p>"We have baked cookies!" Starstruck announced.</p>
<p>"Cookies!" We were happily surprised, each being handed a cookie. "Thank you!"</p>
<p>"You're very welcome, small friends!"</p>
<p>"These are really good!" Killer complimented.</p>
<p>"Thank you! We knew you would like them!" </p>
<p>We sat in silence for a while eating our cookies; they were <em>really</em> good cookies, although they weren't as good as Papyrus's spaghetti; he's the best at cooking and baking. When I finished my cookies, I went back to holding my broken arm, which worried the trio; before long, I was obliged to let them look at the fracture, and Dream insisted on healing it. </p>
<p>"How did your arm get broken?" Outer asked.</p>
<p>"I don't know.." If I told them that it was Ink, he would have hurt my family before he was finally caught, and I didn't want that to happen. "I must have hit it.."</p>
<p>"Ink says they play some <em>pretty</em> hardcore games sometimes.." Dream sighed. "It seems like they <em>only</em> play those games when they're alone with him, though.."</p>
<p>"Weird." Outer pondered.</p>
<p>"Well, your arm should heal all right from here, but you <em>have</em> to be more careful when you play..please." </p>
<p>"I'll try." I grinned.</p>
<p>We ate more cookies and talked for a while longer before an inky portal opened, and Ink himself walked through; he smiled when he saw the fear in our eyelights and proceeded to address the inhabitants of the room. </p>
<p>"Hello!" Ink grinned happily. "How's the visit going?"</p>
<p>"Great." Nightmare responded, before silently muttering. "Until <em>you</em> got here.."</p>
<p>"Good to hear! It's getting a little late, and I was wondering when you were planning on returning."</p>
<p>"Actually, we were discussing having a sleepover!" Starstruck was excited.</p>
<p>"Oh, that sounds awesome!"</p>
<p>"It is!" </p>
<p>"Well, in that case, mind if I join you?"</p>
<p>"We don't mind, right?" Dream looked to us.</p>
<p>"Um..s-sure.." Error stuttered; we really didn't want him to join us.</p>
<p>"Great!" Ink grinned, noting our unease.</p>
<p>"I think we have some pillows and blankets somewhere.." Starstruck looked to his brother.</p>
<p>"You're the one who rearranged everything." Outer shrugged.</p>
<p>"I'll get it." Ink quickly created some pillows and blankets.</p>
<p>"Thanks!" The Outertale brothers were thankful.</p>
<p>"No problem!"</p>
<p>"Well, that should do it for the sleepover!" Starstruck smiled. "Shall we begin?"</p>
<p>"What are we even going to <em>do?"</em> Outer wondered. "We don't exactly have many games.."</p>
<p>"Stargazing is always fun." Dream reminded.</p>
<p>"Hmm, what do you guys think about that idea?"</p>
<p>"Yes!" We cheered.</p>
<p>"I think that's a yes!" Dream giggled.</p>
<p>"Let's go, then!" Starstruck was already halfway out the door.</p>
<p>We followed the Outertale brothers and Dream outside, while Ink decided to stay behind - we hoped he was just going to take a nap, but we doubted it - and we made it to their favorite spot. It wasn't as comfortable as Error's spot, but it was <em>pretty </em>good. We enjoyed watching the stars twinkle in their everlasting orbit throughout the multiverse; it truly was a sight to behold. As the hours went by, our group got smaller; Dream left to join Ink with whatever he was doing, and Starstruck had to prepare dinner, which meant it was just us and Outer. We didn't mind that, and he was actually pretty cool - not as cool as Papyrus (he's the best), but cool nonetheless. Eventually, we had to return to the Outertale brothers' house, at which point we followed the Sans happily. We had forgotten that Ink would be waiting; when we walked through the door and saw him, our souls sank. We were quickly seated in the living room and served some of Starstruck's cooking, which I seemed to be the only one who could stand the taste of; the others managed to get away with some smuggled treats. When we went to bed, we were happy; it was actually really fun! We liked that day.</p>
<p>We were away from Ink's torture, and that was what mattered.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family content.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my dismal writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. 8 - Outstanding</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We had been trapped in Ink's hand-crafted prison for ten months by this time, and we weren't happy. Whenever we could, we tried to escape Ink's torture with visits to Outertale or Underswap, but we couldn't always flee like that; he made sure of it. We still only saw him every <em>three</em> days, which was better than <em>every </em>day, but we always dreaded that day when we would see him next. We also had no escape, which was unfortunate, to say the least; if we <em>could</em> have escaped, we <em>would </em>have. Of course, that would have been temporary anyway, since we were too weak to avoid being captured again if an attempt was made; we just had to wait, and wait we did. We probably waited for <em>too </em>long, but we had no choice; it was either wait, hoping for a miracle, or escape, just to be caught again. Waiting at least had a chance. Today was the day before an Ink day, and we were making the most of it; we practically <em>had</em> to if we were going to even <em>live</em> through tomorrow. We were currently playing with the swap brothers in our room, pretending that we were running a city. Nightmare was the secretary, Error was the taxi driver, Horror was the fisherman, Cross was the company owner, Killer was the mayor, the swap brothers were the army, and I was the news reporter.</p>
<p>"It's a beautiful day here in sunny Killersburg, and the temperature is negative ten thousand degrees!" I laughed. "Perfect weather for business as usual!"</p>
<p>"Mr. Mayor, the stock market has crashed for the thousandth time today." Nightmare stated. </p>
<p>"Tell them to restock!" Killer exclaimed. </p>
<p>"That's not how a stock market works."</p>
<p>"Of course it is!"</p>
<p>"I'll restock i.'" Horror volunteered, putting a fish toy on the 'desk' we had created out of some blankets.</p>
<p>"Perfect!"</p>
<p>"How a-are my st-stocks doing?" Cross, the company owner, wondered.</p>
<p>"Absolutely horrible!" Nightmare shrugged playfully. "Nobody is buying!"</p>
<p>"Aww!"</p>
<p>"I'll buy a stock." I placed a pretend coin on the desk.</p>
<p>"Y-yay!"</p>
<p>"I'm gonna to go visit Crossy's company!" Killer declared. "Taxi!"</p>
<p>"Taxi's here; hop right in, Mr. Mayor." Error 'drove' up on a toy horse.</p>
<p>"Aren't taxis supposed to be <em>cars?"</em></p>
<p>"I'm branching out."</p>
<p>"But cars are so much cooler!"</p>
<p>"No nee' ta be a <em>'neigh-</em>sayer.'" Horror joked.</p>
<p><em>"Hay!" </em>Killer yelled.</p>
<p>"Is for horses!" I added.</p>
<p>"Are you going to saddle up?" Error asked. </p>
<p>"Hmm..yeah!" Killer jumped onto the horse plush.</p>
<p>"Ride, pony!" Error rode the horse over to the bed we had designated as Cross's company.</p>
<p>"Oh no, burglars!" Killer added some drama. "Call the army!"</p>
<p>"We need you, army!" Nightmare giggled.</p>
<p>"Army here!" The swapped Sans proclaimed.</p>
<p>"There's burglars!" Killer pointed to some air burlars - very scary. </p>
<p>"Pow! Zam! Kaboom! We have defeated the burglars! Yay!"</p>
<p>"Yay!" We cheered.</p>
<p>"I <em>hate</em> to interrupt your game, but it's bedtime!" Ink entered the room.</p>
<p>"Aww!" We sighed.</p>
<p>"Ah, there's tomorrow." The swapped Papyrus reminded. "We'll see you then!"</p>
<p>"Super early?" Killer hoped.</p>
<p>"No promises on the time, but we'll see you."</p>
<p>"Do we <em>have</em> to go?" The swapped Sans didn't want to leave.</p>
<p>"Yes, we <em>have</em> to go. I'll read you a nice bedtime story."</p>
<p>"Oh boy, let's go! Bye, friends!" The swapped Sans wasted no time in leaving through a portal.</p>
<p>"Seeya!" The swapped Papyrus left as well, which meant we were alone with Ink.</p>
<p><em>"So,</em> did you have <em>fun?"</em> Ink switched his expression to a darker one.</p>
<p>Instead of answering, we shrunk.</p>
<p>"Well, I guess that's all right." Ink approached us. "We'll have some <em>genuine</em> fun tomorrow. Now, <em>go to bed!"</em></p>
<p>We quickly rushed to our soft beds, not wanting to risk angering Ink; the last time that happened, there were a lot of broken bones. Within one minute, the light was turned out, and we were half asleep; if anything, Ink was a good stimulus for going to sleep. I wished I could say good night to Paps, but with the chance of Ink not having left the room, I wasn't taking any risks; Cross said Papyrus understood - he's the best. When I drifted off into my dusty nightmare, I felt uneased; tomorrow was an Ink day, and we <em>all </em>knew what that meant: pain. I almost didn't want to wake up, but I knew that I had to, and I might have been able to prevent Ink from hurting somebody badly, even if it <em>was </em>at my expense; it was worth it. The only good thing about Ink's torture was the fact that my family was growing closer; we had to, or we wouldn't have lasted that long. I tried to enjoy my dusty nightmare as much as I could, but with the fear of tomorrow, I just couldn't. When morning came, we were woken up at Ink's usual hour, which wasn't very exciting, and placed in our line for the morning search; we were bored, but we couldn't do anything about it. When Ink finally finished, he faced us.</p>
<p>"Good morning." Ink smiled, faking kindness; we knew better. "Are you ready?"</p>
<p>We weren't ready.</p>
<p>"Well?" Ink was growing impatient.</p>
<p>We shook our skulls, hoping for the best.</p>
<p>"Oh, <em>I</em> see." Ink chuckled. "You just need more <em>time,</em> is that right?"</p>
<p>We nodded, silently pleading that he would leave.</p>
<p>"That's quite all right." Ink said. "I'll just get you in the <em>mood."</em></p>
<p>"P-please, d-don't.." Cross mouthed silently.</p>
<p>"And it looks like we have a <em>volunteer."</em> Ink smirked, turning his view to Cross.</p>
<p>"Don't hurt him!" Nightmare's protective tendencies activated.</p>
<p>
  <em>"So brave!"</em>
</p>
<p>At this point, Ink began to torment us once again, starting with Nightmare and Cross. The rest of us did our best to prevent him from doing anything, but he ended up trapping us with an attack, telling us that we'd all <em>"get our turns."</em> It was painful watching Ink as he inflicted injuries on his targets, and every crack we heard made us cry harder; it was almost as if he <em>knew</em> that we cared for eachother enough to give our lives. Actually, he probably <em>did.</em> When Cross and Nightmare were out cold, Ink reached for Horror, who was crying too much to say a single word as Ink proceeded to assault him; Ink was cruel. Horror couldn't even block any attacks aimed at him, since they were moving so fast; he fell quickly, which was probably better for him, since Ink refused to hurt us unless we were awake. By the time Ink got a grip on Error, we had accepted that begging and pleading was useless, but we continued anyway; at least we could block out Ink's quiet taunts. Whenever he had one of us at a time, he always tried to bring out our fears, and at that point, the pain seemed to increase immensely; fear did that, or maybe Ink just got stonger because of it. Whatever the reason, he seemed to like it, which meant we didn't. </p>
<p>After Error was brought down, Killer was quickly taken, and he received the same treatment as the others; I did my best to block out Ink's manipulative comments, but my attempts didn't do as much as two or more could accomplish. I tried anyway. It seemed like I was able to yell loud enough to stifle most of Ink's taunts, but some still got through to Killer, making him more afraid. I couldn't help sobbing when the inevitable cracks were heard; Killer's cries rose in volume, then ceased when he passed out. I was next, and I had no one to hinder Ink's whispers. He knew <em>exactly </em>how to deal with us, and he did so with skill that was hard to comprehend; we <em>couldn't</em> comprehend it - we had tried. When I was in his line of attack, I knew it was going to hurt, and it <em>did. </em>Within thirty seconds, Ink had broken the arm he always went for; he didn't bother with my legs, since breaking them would have inhibited my ability to walk, and he <em>wanted</em> us to be able to walk. I <em>didn't </em>want to walk if he <em>did</em> want me to; I curled up on the ground, hoping it would end soon. With Ink constantly battering me, it would end soon, right? He would have hit me on the skull or something, and I would have been knocked out, like last time! I just had to wait for him to knock me out..</p>
<p>"Afraid <em>already?"</em> Ink taunted, as he continued to beat me. "That's a pity; I guess we'll just keep going."</p>
<p>"P-please!" I cried. "S-stop!"</p>
<p>"Why would I <em>ever</em> stop?"</p>
<p>I didn't say anything, opting to retreat further into my hope that I would go unconscious soon.</p>
<p>"You're so <em>pathetic."</em> Ink scoffed.</p>
<p>I cried harder; he knew my weaknesses, and he knew <em>exactly</em> how they affected me.</p>
<p>"You don't deserve them, you know." Ink chuckled. "You're lucky they even <em>care."</em></p>
<p>He was right. I <em>didn't</em> deserve my family..</p>
<p>"All <em>you</em> deserve..is <em>this."</em> Ink began to strike me harder, allowing me to hear a clear crack every time.</p>
<p>Why did I believe that he was right? Did I really deserve <em>pain?</em></p>
<p>"Don't try to hide from it." Ink said. "You <em>know</em> I'm right."</p>
<p>He was probably right..but I still didn't like it. I didn't want pain.</p>
<p>"Now..we're almost done.." Ink giggled.</p>
<p>I felt myself starting to lose consciousness, but if he stopped right there, I wouldn't have; I was still crying hard, though.</p>
<p>"I'd say just <em>one more." </em>Ink's brush was lifted high.</p>
<p><em>"What are you doing?!"</em> I heard..another voice?</p>
<p>"Wh-<em>what?!"</em> Ink instantly lowered his brush and turned to see the other.</p>
<p>"Why..why were you <em>hurting</em> them?!" The other must have seen it; I wished I could recognize the voice, but my hearing was a bit fuzzy from having been beaten severely with a large paintbrush, not to mention the fact that I was still plainly crying. </p>
<p>"W-we were just playing a game!"</p>
<p>"What kind of <em>game </em>involves what you <em>just</em> <em>did?!" </em>The voice was starting to sound more familiar, but I still couldn't place it. "Just <em>look at him!"</em></p>
<p>"He's..a good actor!"</p>
<p>"The <em>heck</em> he is!"</p>
<p>"He's perfectly <em>fine!"</em></p>
<p>"He's <em>terrified!" </em>The voice...sounded so familiar; it was right, though: <em>I was terrified.</em></p>
<p>"Look, I'll <em>prove</em> it." Ink picked me up. "Are you scared?"</p>
<p>I shrunk, crying harder. I was scared; I was <em>very </em>scared.</p>
<p>"Ink, <em>move over."</em> The voice demanded. "I don't know what in the multiverse you <em>did</em> to make him so <em>scared</em> of you, but I swear that if you touch a single bone in his body again, you're going to have a <em>whole lot more</em> to deal with than a <em>scared child."</em></p>
<p>"He isn't even a real child!" Ink's grip tightened; it hurt. "Have you just <em>forgotten</em> about what he's done? What they've <em>all</em> done?"</p>
<p>"Of <em>course </em>I haven't, but as far as <em>I</em> recall, they've <em>never beaten children </em>like <em>you did."</em></p>
<p>"I wasn't <em>beating</em> him!"</p>
<p>"Then what were you <em>doing?!"</em></p>
<p>"Uh...t-teaching self-defense!" </p>
<p>"Step away from the kid, Ink. That's <em>enough."</em></p>
<p>"Not a chance." Ink dropped his act, and his grip continued tightening. "You're not strong enough to stop <em>me."</em></p>
<p>"Are you <em>really</em> willing to take that bet?"</p>
<p>"Of <em>course!</em> You'd stop the <em>second</em> I put him in harm's way; you care too much!" Ink laughed.</p>
<p>"P-please, let me go!" I sobbed, struggling to get free.</p>
<p>"You be <em>quiet."</em> Ink tightened his grip even more, cracking a bone, and making me scream in pain. "The <em>adults</em> are talking."</p>
<p>"For goodness sake, Ink!" The other exclaimed. "Let the kid <em>go </em>already!"</p>
<p>"Hmm. <em>No, </em>it's <em>much</em> too <em>fun</em> watching your reaction."</p>
<p>"Ink, what <em>happened</em> to you?!"</p>
<p>"Absolutely <em>nothing!"</em></p>
<p>"This..<em>this</em> is why they said you weren't their friend. How long have you been doing this?"</p>
<p>"Oh, that's hard to say..day one?"</p>
<p>"That was...s-so long ago.."</p>
<p>"What can I say? They're fun toys."</p>
<p><em>"Toys?!</em> Is that <em>all</em> you think of them as?!"</p>
<p>"Pretty much. What <em>else</em> would they be?"</p>
<p>"They're <em>children, </em>Ink! <em>Children!"</em></p>
<p>"Perhaps once.." Ink looked at my terrified expression with a smile. "But..they're <em>mine</em> now."</p>
<p>"Ink, you're <em>insane!"</em></p>
<p>"You're only finding this out <em>now?"</em></p>
<p><em>"Put him down."</em> The other demanded.</p>
<p>"Nope!"</p>
<p>"I'm not leaving until you <em>do."</em></p>
<p>"Then you're going to be here for an <em>awfully </em>long time!" Ink laughed, shaking me around; that felt horrible and hurt at the same time.</p>
<p>"St-stop!" I pleaded. "Outer, just <em>go!</em> He'll..he'll only hurt <em>you</em> too!"</p>
<p>"I'm staying, Dust." Outer stood his ground. "You don't deserve <em>this</em> kind of life."</p>
<p>"Oh, he <em>does."</em> Ink stated. "He <em>knows</em> it, too."</p>
<p>"You've tortured them so much that they actually <em>believe</em> they deserve it.." Outer was shocked.</p>
<p>"Yup! I might consider doing the same to <em>you</em> if you don't walk out that door <em>right</em> <em>now."</em></p>
<p>"Ink, this has gone far enough. I have all the evidence I need to place you under arrest, and that's <em>exactly </em>what I plan to do."</p>
<p>"You can't arrest <em>me!</em> I'm trusted by everybody, and even if you <em>were</em> to find <em>somebody</em> that believed you, I could simply turn you into another <em>Nightmare's gang!"</em></p>
<p>"I'll do what I have to. Put your brush down."</p>
<p>"You're pretty eager, aren't you? Well, I can deal with that." Ink started to lower his brush to the ground before flinging some red paint at Outer, who blocked it with a few well-placed bones. </p>
<p>"So <em>that's </em>how you want to play it." Outer prepared for battle. "I didn't want it to have to come to this, but you leave me no choice."</p>
<p>"Finally playing the hero, eh?" Ink gripped me tighter; I knew his plan, and I didn't like it. "Well, let's see how much of a hero you can <em>truly</em> be."</p>
<p>Ink initiated the battle by running up to Outer, who blocked most of his attacks with bones, while dodging the others, and retaliated by summoning standard bone attacks. Ink, the cruel being he was, used <em>me</em> as a shield, but Outer's attacks never harmed me. </p>
<p>"That's a foul move!" Outer wasn't happy. </p>
<p>"So <em>what?"</em> Ink shook me around, making me dizzy; I pitied his brush, before remembering that it wasn't alive. Ink really scrambled my mind. "He's <em>my</em> pawn!"</p>
<p>"He's a <em>child!"</em></p>
<p>Ink responded to this by hurling more paint, which Outer dodged with his expertise. Outer returned an attack by summoning more bones, which he had to control carefully to avoid hitting me; Ink was going out of his way to ensure that it happened. Outer managed not to hit me, though; he even took an attack of painful paint in his frenzy to keep me out of harm, but it didn't phase him. His desire to protect us went beyond pain, and we appreciated it - at least, I did at the moment, and the others would when they woke up. As Outer started a melee attack of bones in an effort to avoid ranged combat, Ink took him head on; I wished I could do something, but my arms were firmly held in Ink's grip, and my magic was blocked whenever Ink decided to torture us. I only had my legs and skull, and those weren't doing too well; it was hard to kick a person that was holding you. Outer fought very bravely, and it looked as if he could even <em>win!</em> I hoped he would win. When it seemed like Outer had the upper hand, Ink played a move he probably didn't even realize he had: he quickly dropped some paint on Outer's hands, binding them firmly to the bone he was fighting with, and he grabbed it. Outer couldn't control the bone against Ink's grip, and Ink took full advantage; he moved it towards me.</p>
<p>"Stop!" Outer pulled away, failing.</p>
<p>"I wonder how you're going to feel after one of <em>your</em> attacks hurts him.." Ink giggled, moving the bone ever closer.</p>
<p>"Ink, you don't have to do this!" Outer forcefully tugged at his restraints. "Don't do this.."</p>
<p>"Oh, and <em>you're </em>the one who's <em>holding</em> it? My, my, that's <em>very</em> impressive! I think I could just pin the entire thing on <em>you,</em> what do you think? It isn't like you'd <em>deny </em>it after <em>this.."</em></p>
<p>"Please stop..." I sobbed.</p>
<p>"I mean, after your attack hits him while you're holding it, of course. I <em>know</em> you, Outer; you do this <em>all the time!"</em></p>
<p>"N-<em>no!"</em> Outer put all of his strength into unsummoning his bone, and he did it, at great expense; he was grounded, and Ink wasn't letting him get up.</p>
<p>"That was <em>so</em> brave." Ink scoffed. "You've officially lost this battle. If you go back <em>now,</em> without <em>any</em> intent to tell of these events, I'll let you go peacefully. If <em>not...</em>well, I think you already know."</p>
<p>"Ink, why are you <em>doing </em>this?"</p>
<p>"I <em>feel</em> like it!" Ink laughed. "The wide range of emotions I feel as I inflict pain, the rush of pleasure when things go my way, and <em>oh, the reactions!</em> The <em>reactions</em> to <em>my</em> choices! Why would I <em>ever</em> want to give this up?"</p>
<p>"F-feelings?"</p>
<p>"Of <em>course, </em>feelings! <em>Torturing </em>somebody gives me more emotions than I've ever experienced in any <em>other</em> way! The slight twinge of disgust and regret when I start, overlaid by satisfaction when I keep on my track! Oh, the rush of guilt and sorrow when the inevitable <em>crack</em> comes! But it's all <em>worth it</em> in the end! When the <em>reactions </em>come, it's <em>always</em> worth it. When they scream, I know I'm doing it right, and when they <em>beg</em> for me to 'stop,<em> please!'</em> it fills me with joy; have you ever tortured someone? Oh, I guess not; you're too kind to do <em>that.</em> Well, then, you'll have to just trust me; it's a <em>hell</em> of a lot of fun, and the emotions I feel make it all better! When you <em>know</em> that they have to <em>beg </em>and <em>plead</em> for you to <em>stop, </em>it's all better. A surge of pride, perhaps? Maybe a touch of guilt. It doesn't matter to <em>me! </em>Feeling is <em>feeling,</em> after all."</p>
<p>"Wh-what?!" Outer didn't understand.</p>
<p>"Oh, you aren't soulless..well, I guess you wouldn't understand, then!"</p>
<p>"Get away from that kid." Outer changed his expression; he didn't understand Ink's words, but he knew well enough that he was dangerous, and that was a reason to fight.</p>
<p>Outer summoned some bones from under Ink, which he couldn't use me to block; the real battle had just begun. Ink swung his brush quickly, performing a melee attack, while Outer opted for a more ranged approach, careful of my presence; if he hit me, we all knew it would be over. He would have been emotionally crushed if he even slightly bruised me; he was sensitive, but he found this battle to be <em>extremely</em> important. He kept going. After he got far enough out of Ink's range - that paintbrush was <em>way</em> more versatile than it should have been - Ink began to fling more paint, which wasn't good. With the speed at which the paint was flying, some was even splattering on <em>me,</em> and it burned - <em>badly.</em> I cried harder, which only seemed to reinforce Outer's determination to save us; we knew he would have done it for anyone, but we were thankful that it was for us - the others were still out cold, though. Bones flew throughout the room, accompanied by splotches of paint, which dissipated as soon as they missed their target; that was good for cleanup, but that wasn't the present concern. As the battle continued, everything became too fast to keep track of; I just made myself as small as I could and hoped for the best.</p>
<p>After a while, everything paused. A crack was heard; that could have been a turning point. I opened my eyesockets to see what had happened, and I noticed that the room didn't even look like a battle had taken place; there were no spare bones or paint anywhere, which was impressive. I looked at the fighters, noticing first that Outer was severely injured; I wished I could help. As I glanced over to my captor, I felt his grip loosen slightly; I hoped that was a good sign. They looked at eachother, almost as if they were having some sort of..mental battle? Outer's expression was one of compassion, as he looked out for those he cared for. Ink's expression was one of hatred, yearning to inflict more pain on his victims. Soon enough, one fell; I didn't feel good between Ink's hand and the ground, but I wasn't arguing. I may have wanted to argue when his grip on me tightened one last time, and cracks were heard; I screamed in pain, but it passed. After Ink got a good laugh, he lost consciousness; I was relieved. Outer helped me escape Ink's hand, and once I was free, he hugged me; that felt good.</p>
<p>"Are you all right, kiddo?" Outer asked. </p>
<p>"N-not really..but I'm better now.." I was still crying, but it was softer now.</p>
<p>"How about we get the rest of your friends up, then we can deal with the <em>other</em> one?"</p>
<p>I nodded.</p>
<p>"All right. Everything's okay now. You'll be safe." Outer lifted me up and walked over to my still unconscious family.</p>
<p>"R-really?" I questioned. <em>"All</em> of us?"</p>
<p>"Yes, you're <em>all</em> going to be safe."</p>
<p>For the first time in a <em>long </em>time, I really felt safe.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family SAFE!</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my incomprehensible writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. 9 - Consequence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ink was brought down yesterday, and we were still recovering from his recent torturing, but he was gone, and that was all that mattered. We still hadn't found a way to allow me to see Papyrus again, unfortunately, and the bracelets he forced us to wear were somehow locked onto us with some kind of magic; they weren't coming off. The multiverse was going to have a lot to think about with Ink being newly found as a maniac, and <em>we</em> were certainly seen in somewhat of a new light; being tortured for ten months wasn't fun. It felt like we were being pitied a bit, but we weren't arguing; at least nobody was trying to break our bones. Speaking of broken bones, Ink went a bit out of his way yesterday to <em>make sure</em> we all had broken bones; I was the worst injured, since he tortured me longer - not to mention the battle. We were currently sitting in the corner of the meeting room where we met the Outertale brothers; there were a <em>lot</em> of skeletons there. We listened to their conversation, ignoring any distrust that may have floated in our direction; we expected that. Of course, being children <em>and</em> having casts on was a big help in not being attacked by anyone. The meeting was about to start, and Dream began solemnly; nobody had heard the news yet other than the ones who knew us best.</p>
<p>"I'm glad you could all make it today.." Dream was still a bit upset that his best friend turned out to be a child abuser. "There's a lot to talk about.."</p>
<p>"You mean like the tiny Nightmare's gang in the corner?" A Sans gestured to us.</p>
<p>"That's..<em>one</em> thing.." Dream and the others obviously hadn't told the rest of the multiverse that we were children.</p>
<p>"Take it easy to start." Outer wasn't too thrilled about it himself.</p>
<p>"Well, um..oh gosh, where do I start?"</p>
<p>"Start at the beginning."</p>
<p>"Okay...the beginning. Well, about ten months ago, Nightmare's gang was captured..and turned into children.." Dream's starter got a lot of mixed reactions; some of them included glaring at <em>us,</em> but we expected that. </p>
<p>"So you mean that's the <em>real</em> Nightmare's gang in the corner?" The Sans from before wasn't pleased; he didn't seem to like us. "What are they doing <em>here?!"</em></p>
<p>"If you'll let me continue, I can explain that." Dream got the room to calm down. "I-Ink had the idea that children would be easier to manage, and a mixture was created..it worked, as you can clearly see. As children, they were really much easier to take back <em>here,</em> where they've been kept ever since..in a bedroom. They were originally brought here for an attempt to reform them, and to possibly make them not..<em>bad.</em> I don't know how to put this.."</p>
<p>"It turns out they weren't doing what they did because they wanted to..they <em>had</em> to, and we just..never knew." Outer summarized; that, too, received mixed reactions.</p>
<p>"Thank you.."</p>
<p>"No problem."</p>
<p>"So what does this mean for the multiverse?" A different Sans questioned.</p>
<p>"We've found a way to get around Nightmare's..<em>job..</em>but, Error will have to go back to destroying if we don't find a way to work around it..it's vital." Dream sighed. "Moving on from that, the..worst part.."</p>
<p>Dream paused; he had only learned of Ink's behavior himself, and he hadn't completely gotten over it - we didn't know if he <em>ever</em> would.</p>
<p>"As you may have noticed, Ink isn't here." Dream was determined to continue. "While Nightmare and the others were here, they had a s-schedule..every third day, Ink would take on the job of..<em>l-looking after them.</em> On the other days, it was just me, Blue, and Swapyrus..we d-didn't even r-realize..I..I c-can't do this.."</p>
<p>"I can take it from here.." Outer offered, receiving a small nod. "Right, well, during the two days when Ink wasn't present, Nightmare and the others would spend their days with them, and occasionally, Starstruck and I would come around, or they would visit us. I believe that before we get to the bad part, we should discuss the nature of Nightmare's gang. As we have stated, they weren't terrorizing people by choice, but rather for necessity. Nightmare would have died if they didn't go on their trips, and if Error didn't go on <em>his,</em> well, that's a discussion for another time. The point is, they never <em>wanted</em> to hurt anybody; they just <em>had </em>to. When Star and I met them, it was actually really..<em>fun.</em> They're pretty cool kids, once you get to know them."</p>
<p><em>"Nightmare's gang </em>is not<em> cool!" </em>The first Sans debated. "Have you been brainwashed?"</p>
<p>"No, I have not been <em>brainwashed.</em> I don't even <em>have</em> a brain..anyway, I have been in contact with these children for about seven months now, and I haven't seen them even <em>think</em> about hurting another living being <em>once.</em> In <em>every</em> way, they've acted like innocent <em>children!"</em></p>
<p>"Why would they act like kids?" Someone else inquired.</p>
<p>"To put it in the simplest way I can, I think they've just been the villains for so long that..they forgot how to get along with people. They've been alone for so long that what seems normal to <em>them</em>..is childish to <em>us,</em> and taking that into account, it gives me one conclusion: they've been neglected. They need attention, but the only kind they've ever received is the bad kind; it hurts my soul to see people like that. They've probably been like this for years, and it's only showing now because we're actually <em>paying attention.</em> They need help, and I, for one, am <em>not</em> going to deprive them of it."</p>
<p>"How do we know it isn't some ploy to gain our trust?" The first Sans really didn't like us.</p>
<p>"I trust that it isn't." Outer smiled at us. "They've never spoken a wrong word in my presence, and I doubt they have in any other. Now that that's settled...the hard part comes."</p>
<p>Outer took a slow breath; he didn't like the topic any more than <em>we</em> did.</p>
<p>"As we have already said, Ink was in charge of them every third day." Outer began. "In the two day gaps between those, they would often spend time doing nice activities, such as playing games. They would often receive injuries, however, but we never found out where they came from..until yesterday. Yesterday, Ink was in charge of them. Star got me up early to see if the kids wanted to come over and play a little with us; they usually did. In fact, they were so <em>willing</em> to go absolutely <em>anywhere</em> when Ink was watching them. At first, we just thought they were uncomfortable with his presence; they <em>did</em> fight a lot in the past, and we thought maybe, they just weren't used to it..it wasn't that."</p>
<p>Outer glaced over at us, to see us solemnly listening.</p>
<p>"I decided to just portal in, since it was probably too early to use the front door. Usually, they would have been sleeping or playing at that time, but I soon found out that...they <em>weren't. </em>There are six children in that group..when I entered the room, five of them were unconscious; they had been badly beaten. I hoped I was dreaming when I heard a loud cry from the back of the room, but I wasn't. I saw <em>Ink,</em> someone I <em>trusted,</em> beating a child..and it <em>scared </em>me.."</p>
<p>"Wait, you mean <em>Ink</em> was hurting them?" A Papyrus wondered. "Why would he do <em>that?"</em></p>
<p>"I don't know. He gave me some answer about <em>feelings,</em> but..I don't know.." Outer sighed. "When I saw Ink, I saw that he was repeatedly hitting the child with his weapon; there were..so...m-many..c-cracks..I c-couldn't imagine what he did to the others. I confronted him about it..he tried to make excuses, but I didn't believe them. I found that the one who was crying was Dust..he was <em>terrified </em>of Ink. I had never seen fear like that, and I had to do something about it; I decided to arrest Ink, who obviously resisted. Soon after, I found that Ink isn't who we thought he was; he's more insane than we thought <em>Nightmare's gang </em>was. He started a battle, and he used the child as <em>defense!</em> He purposely tried to put him in danger! Long story short, I won the battle, <em>barely,</em> and I took all of the kids to my house; Ink is being held in a cell."</p>
<p>"Was this a one-time occurrence?" A Papyrus hoped.</p>
<p>"No..I wish it <em>was. </em>Ink did this every time he was alone with them..and he's one of the reasons I'm even <em>more</em> willing to protect these kids."</p>
<p>"Are you <em>really</em> going to just forget what they <em>did?" </em>The first Sans asked. </p>
<p><em>"Yes, I</em> <em>am.</em> They've been scarred from this..I can see it in their expressions, even if they say they're fine; I <em>know</em> they aren't."</p>
<p>"What's going to happen to Ink?" A different Papyrus questioned.</p>
<p>"He's going to be in prison for a <em>long time. </em>Is that all?"</p>
<p>Nobody else spoke.</p>
<p>"Can you take it from here, Dream?" Outer turned to Dream.</p>
<p>"Yes, I think so." Dream smiled. "Thanks."</p>
<p>"Don't mention it."</p>
<p>"Well, that pretty much covers everything..and then some. So, yes, the children will be staying around here, unless something changes, and you're always welcome to introduce yourself, if you'd like..I know it's going to take some time, but hopefully, someday, we can all get along. I think that's all that needs to be said..thanks for coming. We'll have our monthly meeting next week, as always."</p>
<p>Soon after this, the crowd dispersed, and before long, it was just Dream, us, and the Outertale brothers; the swap brothers were experiencing a rather <em>unsavory </em>route at the moment. The remaining skeletons approached us.</p>
<p>"That wasn't <em>so</em> bad.." Dream shrugged. "Right?"</p>
<p>"They kept looking at us.." Error shivered; Ink used to glare at us like that.</p>
<p>"Hey, it's all right." Dream offered a hug, and we accepted it happily. "He can't hurt you anymore."</p>
<p>"A-are you s-sure?" Cross had thought that before.</p>
<p>Dream seemed unsettled by that question, but he went on his way anyway. "Yes."</p>
<p>"You have nothing to worry about!" Starstruck declared. "We shall protect you!"</p>
<p>"How long do broken bones take to heal, again?" Killer didn't like losing motion. </p>
<p>"We can speed up the process with magic." Dream assured. "You'll be up and running in no time!"</p>
<p>"Yay!"</p>
<p>"Speaking of <em>time,</em> it's kinda late.." Outer glanced at a clock. "Ready for bed?"</p>
<p>We nodded, realizing that we were, in fact, tired.</p>
<p>"Let's get you to bed, then." Dream lifted Killer, who had suffered a broken leg, and offered Horror the same.</p>
<p>"I's fine, I c'n walk." Horror confirmed. </p>
<p>"Okay.."</p>
<p>Our group then made its way to the room which we had been living in, and the door was no longer locked; that made us feel freer. We quickly prepared for our rest, which we hoped would come peacefully. When we were ready, we were tucked in our beds and left to sleep, which we happily did; we were <em>very</em> tired. At first, the bedtime was a pain, but we eventually got used to it, and now we were so accustomed to it that we couldn't stay awake much longer after it. I clutched my blanket close as I drifted off into another dusty nightmare, which I enjoyed so much more when I knew Ink couldn't wake me up at an early hour and hurt my family soon after. The dust was calming and soothing as it swirled around, and by this point, I could just ignore the screaming and pleading; it didn't affect me <em>half</em> as much as what I had recently been through. Halfway through my nightmare, something strange happened. I heard a different voice; it..<em>frightened</em> me. I tried to focus on the dust, or even the screams, but the voice wouldn't go away. I <em>wanted</em> it to go away. I wanted to wake up! The voice just kept..speaking to me. I didn't want to listen. I was forced to.</p>
<p>"You don't deserve them." It said; I wanted it to stop.. "You <em>don't</em> deserve them."</p>
<p>It just kept repeating! I wanted it to <em>stop!</em> I..wanted it to stop..why didn't it stop?</p>
<p>"You don't deserve them." It kept repeating...</p>
<p>"Stop!" I pleaded. "Please..stop.."</p>
<p>"You don't deserve them!"</p>
<p>"S-stop.."</p>
<p><em>"You</em> <em>don't deserve them!" </em></p>
<p>"Get out of my head!"</p>
<p>
  <em>"You know you don't deserve them."</em>
</p>
<p>"Leave me alone!"</p>
<p>"Why do you try to hide it? You <em>know</em> it's true!"</p>
<p>"Please.."</p>
<p>"You'll <em>never</em> deserve them."</p>
<p>"Stop.."</p>
<p>"Stop trying to hide!"</p>
<p>"You're n-not real...you can't hurt me..."</p>
<p>"Oh, <em>I can hurt you."</em></p>
<p>"N-no!"</p>
<p>"You think that just because I'm locked up, I can't <em>hurt</em> you?"</p>
<p>"You can't..."</p>
<p>"I can!" </p>
<p>"N-no, you can't!"</p>
<p>The second I said that, a jolt of pain coursed through my body for a second; I wanted to wake up..</p>
<p>"Do you believe me now?" It wondered, laughing slightly.</p>
<p>"G-go away..p-please!" I begged.</p>
<p>"We're going to have a lot of fun!"</p>
<p>"Dusty, wake up!" I heard Killer's voice.</p>
<p>I opened my eyesockets as fast as I could, noticing that I was crying; I expected that. My family were gathered around me; they looked like they had been through what I had, but <em>they </em>were lucky enough to wake up. We quickly brought eachother into a hug, and I believed that<em> most,</em> if not <em>all,</em> of us were crying; Ink could hurt us, even <em>now.</em> Within ten minutes, Dream softly entered the room; he must have felt our fear. </p>
<p>"Are you all right?" He questioned, noticing our hug. "Did something..<em>happen?"</em></p>
<p>"I-Ink.." Cross whimpered.</p>
<p>"What about him?" Dream came closer.</p>
<p>"The bracelets..he can still..hurt us.." Nightmare enlightened.</p>
<p>"That's impossible.."</p>
<p>"It's not.." Error stated.  </p>
<p>"Do you want me to call Outer?" Dream offered; Outer was a guardian figure to us, and he was always willing to help out.</p>
<p>We nodded, and Outer was over in two minutes.</p>
<p>"That was quick.." Dream was surprised.</p>
<p>"I said <em>any</em> time!" Outer grinned. "Star and I would be happy to have them over."</p>
<p>"Really?" Killer was excited.</p>
<p>"Of course!"</p>
<p>"Thanks for doing this." Dream smiled.  </p>
<p>"It's no problem; these kids deserve all the peace they can <em>get</em> after...<em>you know."</em></p>
<p>"Yeah.."</p>
<p>"Well, it's late, and they're going to want their sleep." Outer opened a portal and carried Killer and Horror through it; they were soon sleeping peacefully.</p>
<p>We were all given a place to sleep, and we drifted off once more to the land of dreams. My nightmare was unhindered by Ink, which made me happy. Over time, Outer had proved to be a true friend, and we appreciated it greatly. As I experienced my dusty nightmare, I thought of Papyrus for a while; I missed him so much. He's the best, and I wanted to be able to see his smile and hear his stories; he probably had a million of them by now. </p>
<p>I wished I could see him...</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family scare ;-;</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my frightening writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. 10 - Move</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We had been children for a year at this point, and a lot of improvements had been made - mainly concerning Ink. After he was identified as the freak he <em>was, </em>the logical choice of action was to figure out what to <em>do</em> with him; keeping him in a cell without the approval of the rest of the multiverse wasn't the <em>best</em> option. Long story short, there was a trial, and it was agreed that Ink would be locked up for <em>quite</em> a long time; ten years wasn't long to <em>him,</em> but it was enough for <em>us.</em> He had lost all previous status he may have had before, and he was certainly <em>not</em> going to be the Protector anymore; the multiverse would handle threats <em>itself,</em> and that was the best solution found: if something threatened a universe, other universes would help! As for <em>us,</em> we were too <em>'young'</em> to help out in that aspect, still being small children; we didn't even seem to be <em>growing,</em> which was unsettling. As much as I <em>liked</em> being a kid, I wanted to grow up at <em>some</em> point. At the moment, our main focus was getting the bracelets off; we hadn't had many 'good night's sleeps' in months. We were still in our room, which was certifiably safer than before, and we were honestly bored; the bracelets <em>weren't</em> coming off. We had tried pulling, breaking them, and even cutting off their magic supply, all of which failed - the last one actually hurt me a little due to my condition.</p>
<p>"All right, we're going to try..um.." The swapped Papyrus had no clue what to do next; we had tried <em>dozens </em>of ways. "Unstiching the fabric?"</p>
<p>"We've <em>tried</em> that!" The swapped Sans wasn't looking as bright as usual. "We've tried <em>everything! </em>Nothing is working!"</p>
<p>"How can he even <em>use</em> them?" Dream wondered. "It isn't like he still has the controller!"</p>
<p>"We took that away, but it seems he knows something we <em>don't."</em> The swapped Papyrus sighed.</p>
<p>"Why don't we ask him?" Starstruck was so innocent. "Maybe he'll tell us!"</p>
<p>"I doubt it." </p>
<p>"We'll just have to keep trying!" Dream declared. "There <em>has</em> to be a way!"</p>
<p>"Wh-what if..th-there <em>isn't?"</em> Cross was losing hope. "Wh-what if it's i-impossible?"</p>
<p>"Don't worry, Crossy!" Killer comforted. "We'll be okay!"</p>
<p>"I-I'm scared..."</p>
<p>"It'll be fine." Nightmare assured. "At least he's not here in <em>person.."</em></p>
<p>"I g-guess.."</p>
<p>"Maybe we could try cutting off the magic again?" The swapped Papyrus suggested.</p>
<p><em>"No way."</em> Nightmare was stern. "Dust almost <em>died</em> last time; we're <em>not</em> taking that risk again."</p>
<p>"I didn't really almost <em>die.."</em> I stated.</p>
<p><em>"Your soul</em> <em>stopped beating for ten minutes."</em></p>
<p>"Okay, I almost <em>died.."</em> I remembered that well. </p>
<p>"Then what do we <em>do?"</em> The swapped Papyrus asked.</p>
<p>"I don't know.." Dream was upset. "Maybe we can think better in the morning..it's getting late."</p>
<p>"You mean..<em>g-go to sleep?"</em> Even <em>Error</em> was frightened of that aspect.</p>
<p>"You have to sleep <em>some</em> time..just..try to ignore him as much as you <em>can,</em> okay?"</p>
<p>"What...what does he tell you that makes you so <em>afraid?"</em> The swapped Papyrus questioned nicely, but it still made us uncomfortable. "Nevermind.."</p>
<p>"No, perhaps it could help.." Nightmare was hesitant, but he continued. "He tells me that all I've done is endanger the others in my weakness..that I never should have asked for help.."</p>
<p>"He says I'm just a murderer, despite what I do it for.." Error looked sad.</p>
<p>"I'm not good enough.." Killer sighed.</p>
<p>"I le' down m' 'ntire AU when I join'd." Horror frowned.</p>
<p>"I-I'm just a w-worthless creation th-that should have b-been d-destroyed long ago.." Cross was starting to cry.</p>
<p>"I don't deserve anything that I have..especially <em>them.."</em> I believed it.</p>
<p>"He..tells you <em>that?"</em> The swapped Sans pitied us.</p>
<p>We nodded, being pulled into a large, loving hug.</p>
<p>"You <em>know </em>that's not true.." Dream comforted.</p>
<p>"How long until we <em>don't?"</em> Nightmare wondered. "You tell someone something long enough, and they start to <em>believe</em> it!"</p>
<p>"That's true.." The swapped Papyrus admitted. </p>
<p>"Well, do your best to ignore him.." Dream encouraged. "Good night.."</p>
<p>"Good night." We harmonized solemnly.</p>
<p>After this, the friends tucked us in, and we were left to try to go to sleep. After saying good night to Papyrus - the best brother deserved that, and he <em>is</em> the best! - as always, I closed my eyesockets and drifted off into another dusty nightmare, which was plagued by Ink's constant taunts. I didn't like his taunts, and they often woke the others up, who woke <em>me</em> up before he could continue into something worse. The one time I <em>wasn't</em> woken up, I had somehow broken an arm in my sleep; that wasn't the best sign. After that incident, the others made sure to wake me up as soon as they could; they knew that I couldn't wake up by myself, and that Ink would use that to his full advantage. When Ink began to get harsher with his taunts and really affected me, I was woken up by my family, who pulled me into a hug. I really didn't deserve their love, but I would cherish it anyway. We had only slept for thirty minutes before we were woken, and we knew Ink would just repeat what he had done if we went back to sleep, which left us only one option. We walked down the hall to Dream's room - he was temporarily living here - and knocked on the door softly. When the door opened, we were met with Dream, who looked a bit unhappy; he hadn't been himself since Ink was imprisoned, but he was slowly getting back to normal.</p>
<p>"Already?" Dream inquired, receiving nods. "Bad?"</p>
<p>We nodded once more.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to call Outer?" Dream asked.</p>
<p>"Not if it's too much trouble.." Nightmare said. "We wouldn't want to impose.."</p>
<p>"You know he doesn't mind; he <em>loves</em> having you around."</p>
<p>"We know, but.." Error paused. "We don't want him to think that..we're <em>annoying.."</em></p>
<p>"You <em>aren't</em> annoying!"</p>
<p><em>"He </em>said we were.."</p>
<p>"Well, he was <em>wrong!</em> You're some of the nicest, most considerate children I've ever come to know, and you've <em>never</em> been annoying in <em>any</em> way, and <em>I love you!"</em> Dream came down to our level and put his arms around us; we could tell that this was taking its toll on <em>all</em> of us. "I'll..call Outer."</p>
<p>Within a few minutes, Outer had been successfully called, and he arrived safely; he was always quick.</p>
<p>"We're ready if you're ready." Outer smiled. </p>
<p>"I hope this isn't an inconvenience." Nightmare stated. "We wouldn't want you to lose sleep.."</p>
<p>"No worries! I'll sleep late anyway, and Starstruck can probably <em>literally</em> live without it!"</p>
<p>"Thanks again, Outer." Dream thanked.</p>
<p>"No problem!" Outer created a portal to his home, where we often went to retreat from Ink. "Let's go!"</p>
<p>Outer led us through the portal and showed us where we'd be sleeping; Starstruck usually liked having us sleep in his room, but sometimes Outer wanted to watch us, which left the choice between them. They had agreed that we would sleep in Starstruck's room tonight, which made us happy; we would have been happy either way, actually. Pillows and blankets were soon spread out of the floor, and good nights were said; we went to sleep pretty quickly. Ink didn't bother me in my rest, which I enjoyed immensely; he honestly scared us after a while. At first, we just couldn't fight back, and we had to accept it, but once he started taunting us with our weaknesses and fears, <em>he</em> became a fear. We were actually <em>afraid </em>when he walked into the room, even if there were others there; Dream probably picked up on it, but he passed it off as <em>Ink's</em> fear of <em>something. </em>We didn't like being alone with him, and now, we didn't have to; that made us feel safer than <em>anyone</em> knew. When morning came, we noticed that none of us had suffered Ink's taunting; at that moment, we realized something: we were only affected when we were in our room. Whenever we slept anywhere <em>else, </em>we were completely <em>fine. </em>As soon as Dream arrived, we told him the news.</p>
<p>"So, you're only affected <em>there?"</em> Dream summarized. </p>
<p>"Exactly." Error confirmed. "Maybe it's short range, and he can only reach <em>that</em> universe?"</p>
<p>"That's a possibility." Nightmare admitted. </p>
<p>"If this means you want to have sleepovers every night, I don't think Star and I would mind one bit." Outer approved. "You're always welcome here."</p>
<p>"Really?" We were shocked at the offer.</p>
<p>"Of <em>course!</em> We <em>love</em> having you kids around!"</p>
<p>"Are you sure?" Dream wanted confirmation. "I mean, they could end up <em>living</em> with you! You could essentially be raising them.."</p>
<p>"Hey, if I could raise <em>Star,</em> I can raise <em>anybody."</em></p>
<p>"What is <em>that</em> supposed to mean?" Starstruck was unimpressed. </p>
<p>"What do you want for dinner, bro?" Outer imitated. <em>"The royal guard!"</em></p>
<p>"That was <em>one</em> time!"</p>
<p>"It was <em>hilarious!" </em>Outer broke out into laugher, soon followed by everyone else - including Starstruck.</p>
<p>"I may have had a <em>minor</em> obsession.."</p>
<p>
  <em>"Minor. Sure."</em>
</p>
<p>"So you really don't mind?" Dream inquired.</p>
<p>"Not at all!" Outer confirmed. "We'd <em>love</em> to have them stay here, whether it's only for a little while or the rest of <em>forever!"</em></p>
<p>"Absolutely!" Starstruck joined. </p>
<p>"If you really think you're up for the challenge.." Dream received two nods and knelt down to our level. "All right. What do you guys think?"</p>
<p>"Can we?" We hoped.</p>
<p>"If you can behave well and respect their home..<em>yes."</em></p>
<p>"Yay!"</p>
<p>"With that said, who wants cookies?" Outer chuckled, holding out a tray.</p>
<p>"I hope you aren't <em>only</em> going to feed them <em>cookies." </em>Dream giggled.</p>
<p>"Probably not, but cookies are <em>cookies,</em> am I right?"</p>
<p>"You're right." Dream took a cookie.</p>
<p>The day moved by quickly after this, and by the end of it, we were completely moved into the Outertale brothers' house; there wasn't much to bring, really. We were now living in their house, and our theory was correct; Ink couldn't reach us, and that was the best news we had heard in a <em>long</em> time. We still hadn't found a way for me to see Papyrus, even when he managed to appear for the others - that was unfortunate - which saddened me; I really wanted to see him. I wanted to hear what he had to say and see him at the same time. I loved him, and I didn't want to be cut off from him. Cross was great at relaying messages, but it still wasn't the same as actually being able to <em>hear my brother;</em> Ink really hated me, didn't he? The thought made me want to cry, and I often did. I would occasionally talk to Papyrus when I was scared; I knew he would hear me <em>some</em>times, if not <em>all</em> the time, and that cheered me up a little. Even if he <em>wasn't </em>there, I was comforted a bit. He's the best, whether he was listening or not, and I loved him either way.</p>
<p>After a week in Outertale, we had settled in nicely. The inhabitants seemed to like us, which was a big concern at first; we had no idea how they'd react to mini ex-murderers living as their neighbors, but they actually took it quite well! We mostly kept to ourselves, which was probably a good thing for most of the inhabitants; they most likely didn't want us playing with their children - at least, not <em>yet.</em> We stargazed and played games all day; it was actually peaceful. For once in our lives, there was <em>peace...</em>and we <em>liked</em> it. Outer and Starstruck seemed <em>more</em> than happy to help us with our childish exploits, even if it was something simple, such as climbing a tree. We also helped around the house; they said there was no need, but we insisted - we <em>weren't</em> going to live in someone's house without helping them a <em>little.</em> Overall, we were quickly accepted in Outertale, and that was surprising for us; we had never really <em>belonged</em> <em>anywhere</em> - except Horror, but that event with Undyne was <em>very</em> traumatizing for him, and he preferred to only go home when he <em>had</em> to. As for the rest of us, we had only belonged with Nightmare; he brought us together and made us a true family - despite what he said.</p>
<p>We were a family, and we could only grow closer.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family safer!</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my relocating writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. 11 - Meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We had been living in Outertale for three weeks by this time, and everything was going smoothly. The inhabitants were starting to get used to our presence, Ink couldn't torture us, and overall, we were <em>happy!</em> Today was a special day, because the monthly meeting of the multiverse was at ten o'clock, and since we couldn't stay home alone, we were <em>coming!</em> When we were simply in our room that Ink provided, we stayed there; we didn't exactly have a place at the meetings. Now that we were staying with the Outertale brothers, we could come, and <em>that</em> was <em>exciting!</em> They said it would be boring, but we could have fun <em>anywhere. </em>We were currently eating breakfast - which was delicious, by the way - and talking about what we would do for the day. The meeting only lasted five hours, which meant we had two hours before it to play, along with an extra five hours before bed, and we had already been playing for two hours before breakfast, giving us a grand total of <em>nine</em> hours of playtime! The Outertale brothers didn't know how we managed to fit <em>all</em> our games into that small space, but we did it! We had already finished our breakfast and started playing when Dream knocked on the door; Starstruck let him inside.</p>
<p>"Good morning!" Dream greeted.</p>
<p>"Good morning!" We returned.</p>
<p>"You start early, I see."</p>
<p>"Wanna play?" Killer offered. "We're in the army!"</p>
<p>"Oh, <em>really,</em> now? Aren't you a little <em>young</em> to be in the army?"</p>
<p>"Never! The evil guitar string waits for no one!"</p>
<p>"The evil <em>guitar string?"</em></p>
<p>"His evil goal to distort all music is devious!"</p>
<p>"I see!" Dream couldn't help but laugh. "And the <em>army</em> is going to stop him?"</p>
<p>"Yeah! Wanna join?"</p>
<p>"I think I'll skip this one, sorry! I'm <em>much</em> too afraid to join the <em>army!"</em> Dream also added softly: "Plus, <em>I</em> get to host all the meetings now.."</p>
<p>"Do you want some help?" Outer offered.</p>
<p>"No thanks, I have it <em>completely </em>under control!"</p>
<p>"If you say so.."</p>
<p>"The guitar string is attacking!" Killer pointed to the air - that was an evil guitar string. <em>"Counter!"</em></p>
<p>Our game continued until we had to leave, and the evil guitar string was defeated; music was safe. Our preparations for leaving were short; Outer and Starstruck had already gotten everything <em>they</em> needed, and we were really just tagging along. We didn't need to do much before we were ready, and before we knew it, we were in that meeting room again. We decided that we would play under the table while the adults talked about random things; the table was big, and it looked <em>perfect</em> for playing under - we would be quiet, too. When everybody was seated, we had already been playing our quiet game - we didn't want to distract anyone. We played tic-tac-toe and a few other board games we had brought along as we listened to the meeting; it was about to start, and Dream was the host. He seemed a bit stressed when meetings were coming, since he took over Ink's old place - he didn't know <em>how</em> Ink managed to handle all those problems by <em>himself</em> - and had to preside over them; he received a lot of support, though. When the meeting was ready to begin, we saw a lot of feet; that was funny, but we didn't laugh. Dream began the meeting with a confident tone; we knew he was nervous, but he hid it well.</p>
<p>"Good morning, judges of the multiverse!" Dream started strong. "First of all, I'd like to welcome you and thank you for coming; I know it's sometimes hard. Second of all-"</p>
<p>I stopped listening here: I had lost a game of tic-tac-toe. When I continued listening, Dream had finished, and a different Sans was speaking about problems he had in his universe; this continued for an hour, with some universes taking <em>way</em> more time than others. Meanwhile, we were playing games under the table, and we were having a <em>blast!</em> After the judges finished listing their various problems, Dream started the next phase of the meeting: problem <em>solving.</em> The next two hours were filled with many conversations about how specific problems could be solved. When <em>those</em> hours were up, we were still playing games. At this point, I decided to take a small break to listen to the meeting; I lay down and listened.</p>
<p>"Now that we've finished that, it's time for <em>news!" </em>Dream seemed more comfortable with that topic, since it was easier. "We'll start with local events! Let's see, Underswap is having its annual cook-off on Saturday, and it's <em>never</em> too late to enter. Huh, that's it for this month..weird, there's usually more. Anyway, moving on, we have-" Dream was cut off.</p>
<p>"What in the <em>multiverse?!" </em>A Sans exclaimed.</p>
<p>He saw me, and he <em>wasn't</em> happy. To add to that, he was one of the more well-known <em>'dark AU'</em> judges, which essentially meant he wasn't <em>evil,</em> but you <em>didn't</em> want to get on his bad side; if that wasn't enough as it <em>was,</em> he absolutely <em>despised</em> Nightmare's gang. I picked the wrong day to peek out from under a table, didn't I? The Sans picked me up by my hood and held me up; Ink used to do that. He stared me straight in the eyelights, and I could see that he was contemplating a move; the other judges didn't know what to say, but I knew that Outer and the swap brothers were ready to make a move if the Sans chose the wrong direction. Long story short, <em>he did.</em> I was thrown against a wall, and the Sans approached me. He didn't care if I was a child or not; all he knew was that I was an enemy <em>before,</em> and I could have possibly been one now. Outer and the swap brothers were at the other side of the large table, which meant they had to do a bit of running to get close enough. As for me, I was terrified; this reminded me of Ink's torture a bit <em>too</em> much. I began to cry, but the Sans wasn't affected; I curled up and prepared for whatever he planned on doing to me.</p>
<p>"What are you <em>doing?"</em> The Sans still looked angry.</p>
<p>"P-please don't hurt me.." I sobbed.</p>
<p>"What..?" The Sans knelt down to my level and lifted my skull to look at him; he studied my eyelights.</p>
<p>"P-please.." I was afraid. "D-don't.."</p>
<p>"Oh my <em>gosh.."</em> The Sans's eyelights widened. "You're..<em>terrified.."</em></p>
<p>
  <em>"Please.."</em>
</p>
<p>"I.."</p>
<p><em>"P-please..</em>I..d-don't want to be..h-hurt..<em>again.."</em></p>
<p>"Agh...c'mere.." The Sans wrapped his arms around me, effectively stopping Outer and the swap brothers from any further motions. "I'm sorry.."</p>
<p>"You're..n-<em>not </em>going t-to hurt me?"</p>
<p>"No..<em>no,</em> I'm <em>not. </em>It seems..you've been through <em>enough.."</em> The Sans carried me to his seat and comforted me as I slowed my crying; I wondered what changed his mind. He <em>could</em> have hurt me, but..he <em>didn't. </em>I took it as pity.</p>
<p>"Is..that all?" Dream was a bit surprised at the abrupt stop as well; one of the meanest judges in the multiverse had just comforted a child, and <em>that</em> was no normal act - he had been known to do <em>quite</em> the opposite, sometimes even <em>killing</em> children he had just terrorized. It was honestly a <em>wonder</em> how he was allowed to attend the meetings.</p>
<p>"I..<em>think</em> so.." Outer was shocked as he reclaimed his seat.</p>
<p>"Right..moving on, <em>irony.</em> Nightmare's gang is now living in Outertale..with the brothers there."</p>
<p>The meeting continued smoothly, and there was nothing else that really stood out; actually, it was rather normal. Fell was actually really <em>nice</em> to me, despite our abrupt introduction, and he promised not to throw me against a wall again unless I turned out to be completely evil for some reason, which was a comfort. During the boring parts of the meeting, we talked a bit about random stuff, and he said he wouldn't throw the <em>rest</em> of my family around either, which was more important to me than my own well-being by a <em>long</em> shot. He held onto me for the rest of the meeting, essentially saying, "I like this kid," without saying a <em>word.</em> He seemed to enjoy my random questions, and he even<em> laughed</em> a little; that was a win for <em>me!</em> At the moment, I had questions.</p>
<p>"Is this <em>real</em> gold?" I tapped his gold tooth.</p>
<p>"Actually, <em>no."</em> He whispered. "It's <em>mustard,</em> but it looks <em>awesome, </em>right?"</p>
<p>I giggled.</p>
<p>"That's a <em>secret,</em> okay?" He inquired.</p>
<p>"Okay!" I nodded.</p>
<p>"I've never met a kid like you..<em>somehow,</em> you make me feel..<em>happy."</em></p>
<p>"Really?"</p>
<p>"Yeah..I wonder why. Everybody always said you were soulless killers, but.." He paused. "I don't know..what are you doing?"</p>
<p>"You looked like you needed a hug." I hugged him.</p>
<p>"Thanks.." He hugged me back. "I guess you <em>aren't</em> soulless killers, <em>are</em> you?"</p>
<p>"We were never soulless..only <em>Ink</em> was."</p>
<p>"I guess that makes <em>him</em> the soulless killer."</p>
<p>"Yeah.."</p>
<p>"I guess I was wrong to judge you earlier..I didn't think that it was <em>possible </em>for someone to turn out <em>good</em> after being <em>bad</em> all that time.."</p>
<p>"It's okay!"</p>
<p>"It really <em>isn't.</em> I should have given you a chance instead of attacking you without cause. If it means anything, I'm sorry. I guess being <em>seen</em> as a bully kinda..<em>turned me into one.."</em></p>
<p>"We all make mistakes."</p>
<p>"It's still hard to believe that you're a murderer."</p>
<p>"If it helps, I'm not allowed to play with knives until I'm older."</p>
<p>"That certainly <em>does</em> help."</p>
<p>"Do you like games?"</p>
<p>"Depends on what kind."</p>
<p>"Checkers?"</p>
<p>"Not really."</p>
<p>"Backgammon?"</p>
<p>"Could do without it."</p>
<p>"..." I knew that Killer would be on his tail if this preference was ever spoken of. "Battleship?"</p>
<p>"Eh."</p>
<p>"What games <em>do</em> you like?"</p>
<p>"I like hunting."</p>
<p>
  <em>"Hunting?"</em>
</p>
<p>"A few surface AUs have forest where you can hunt animals; I like doing that."</p>
<p>"Ooh, like fishing?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, but not <em>fish;</em> more like deer and squirrels."</p>
<p>"That sounds fun!"</p>
<p>"It <em>is."</em></p>
<p>"And that wraps up our meeting this month." Dream concluded. "If there are any additional concerns or problems, please, don't hesitate to bring them up whenever you want to."</p>
<p>"I guess that means you'll be going soon." Fell sighed.</p>
<p>"Yep." I nodded.</p>
<p><em>"Where</em> did Dream say you were living?"</p>
<p>"Outertale."</p>
<p>"I'll visit sometimes."</p>
<p>"Yay!" That thought made me happy.</p>
<p>"Well, I have a home to get to, as well; seeya around." Fell put me on the floor and stood up.</p>
<p>"Bye bye!" I waved as Fell went to his home through a portal.</p>
<p>When Fell had left, I noticed that my family were next to Dream, the swap brothers, and the Outertale brothers, and I quickly ran over to join them.</p>
<p>"Well, I'm glad that everything turned out okay." Dream was holding Nightmare, who was playing with a color cube that Outer had given to him. </p>
<p>"Yeah..that scare earlier was a bit..<em>off-putting." </em>Outer frowned.</p>
<p>"Are you all right, Dust?" The swapped Papyrus asked.</p>
<p>"Yep!" I smiled.</p>
<p>"Not even <em>Fell</em> could see them as anything <em>but</em> little <em>angels!" </em>The swapped Sans exclaimed. </p>
<p>"Well, it's time for the <em>'little angels'</em> to get home, now." Outer chuckled.</p>
<p>"Aww, can't we stay and play?" Killer hoped.</p>
<p>"Afraid not, kiddo." </p>
<p>"Aww.."</p>
<p>"You'll be able to play at home, and there are even a few..<em>cookies</em> left."</p>
<p>"..." Killer paused. <em>"Take me home, please."</em></p>
<p>"I <em>thought</em> that might have convinced you." Outer smirked. "Come on, then."</p>
<p>Soon after Outer opened a portal, we all said goodbye to our friends and followed the brothers through to Outertale; if there were <em>cookies</em> involved, we weren't passing them up for <em>anything.</em> Outer and Starstruck made some of the <em>best</em> cookies - other than Papyrus's - that we <em>knew</em> of, and if we <em>could</em> get some, we <em>would.</em> When we were seated in the living room with cookies, we played a few games with the Outertale brothers and had an overall <em>great</em> time; we loved living with the brothers in outertale, and, at the current rate of rising happiness, we could only become <em>happier</em> with our new home.</p>
<p>We couldn't see anything to worry about.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean meet Fell bean.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my dramatic writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. 12 - Desperation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We had been living with the Outertale brothers for seven years and three months by this time, and we were one of the <em>happiest</em> families in the <em>multiverse!</em> We played with eachother and others regularly, we created new games on the spot, Ink was still locked up, and we had our friends close by. There <em>were</em> a <em>couple</em> problems, though; we still hadn't managed to take off those bracelets, which posed a bit of a problem, and we weren't <em>growing.</em> We had been tiny children for over eight years, and, although we <em>liked</em> being small, we still couldn't see over the counters at stores; actually, Error and Nightmare could see a <em>little,</em> but the rest of us were a bit <em>hopeless</em> in that aspect. As for the bracelets, we had pretty much accepted that they <em>weren't</em> coming off - <em>except me.</em> I <em>needed</em> that bracelet off! I <em>needed</em> to see Papyrus again! I'd had no direct contact with my brother for nearly a <em>decade,</em> and I wanted to see him! I wanted to talk to him and hear his stories! I wanted to laugh at the jokes he had..and I wanted to have my brother back. I wanted him back..I <em>needed</em> him back. I would have given up nearly<em> anything</em> to have him back! I just had to wait..</p>
<p>"Are you <em>sure</em> you want to try this?" The swapped Papyrus didn't know if it was a good idea.</p>
<p>"What have I got to <em>lose?" </em>I saw nothing.</p>
<p>"Your <em>friends?</em> Your <em>life?" </em></p>
<p>"Papyrus <em>is</em> my life.."</p>
<p>"..I understand. I would do <em>anything</em> if Blue was out of reach.."</p>
<p>"Thanks."</p>
<p>"Just..be careful."</p>
<p>"I will."</p>
<p>"Are we ready?" The swapped Sans wondered. </p>
<p>"I'm ready."</p>
<p>"All right!" The swapped Sans pulled out a blowtorch.<em> "Hold still!"</em></p>
<p>I held my wrist as still as I possibly <em>could</em> as the swapped Sans ignited the blowtorch and tried to burn the bracelet off. Long story short, my arm was in a cast, and the bracelet remained intact; that <em>wasn't </em>a good idea. The day <em>after</em> that occurred, my family was gathered in the Outertale brothers' living room, and we were playing a game together. </p>
<p>"Dusty, how do ya feel?" Killer was the lead doctor.</p>
<p>"I'm in a terrible state, doctor." My arm still burned.</p>
<p>"How didjya <em>get</em> this injury?"</p>
<p>"A blowtorch."</p>
<p>"Interestin.'"</p>
<p>"Can we fix it, doctor?" Error asked.</p>
<p>"I dunno."</p>
<p>"What are you doing out of bed, Dust?" Outer had entered the room.</p>
<p>"Playing.." I responded.</p>
<p>"Dust, you <em>need</em> bed rest."</p>
<p>"It doesn't hurt <em>that</em> bad.." I didn't want to be stuck in bed.</p>
<p>"You still need it."</p>
<p>"Fine.." I sighed, getting up off the floor.</p>
<p>"I'll bring you up some lunch later."</p>
<p>"Okay.."</p>
<p>I walked up to Outer's room, where my bed was located. Half of us took residence in <em>Outer's</em> room, and the other half slept in <em>Starstruck's</em> room; Error, Killer, and I were in Outer's room, while Nightmare, Cross, and Horror were in Starstruck's. We had even gotten our own little beds in each room; the Outertale brothers were <em>very</em> kind. When I reached my bed, I slowly climbed into it and sat there for a while, eventually starting to cry as Papyrus's floating scarf nestled near me; I missed him<em> so much..</em>I wanted him <em>back!</em> </p>
<p>"P-Paps..." I knew that <em>he</em> could hear <em>me,</em> even if <em>I</em> couldn't hear <em>him. </em>"I <em>miss</em> you.."</p>
<p>The scarf wiped away some of my tears.</p>
<p>"Th-thanks, Paps.." I smiled a bit so Papyrus wouldn't be saddened. "You're the best. I just wish I could <em>see</em> you.."</p>
<p>The door opened at that point, revealing Outer holding a sandwich; he came over to me and sat next to my bed.</p>
<p>"Hey, kiddo." He handed me the sandwich, which I accepted. "Feeling okay?"</p>
<p>"I guess.." My arm still hurt a lot.</p>
<p>"We'll get that bracelet off <em>someday,</em> okay?"</p>
<p>"Okay.."</p>
<p>"We just need to stay <em>hopeful."</em></p>
<p>"Outer?"</p>
<p>"Yes?"</p>
<p>"Why..why does Ink hate us?"</p>
<p>"I don't know, Dust. I couldn't say."</p>
<p>"Do you think he'll come <em>after</em> us when he's let out?" That thought frightened me.</p>
<p>"No, I don't think he will; we're going to cut off his portals to <em>Outertale,</em> at least. You'll be safe from him here."</p>
<p>"Thanks, Outer."</p>
<p>"No problem. You'll <em>always</em> have a place here, even if Ink <em>does </em>try to come after you, and I can <em>promise</em> that if he makes a <em>single move,</em> we'll protect you from him."</p>
<p>I smiled; that made me feel safe.</p>
<p>"Well, Fell said he'd visit sometime today, and you <em>know </em>how <em>his</em> visits are." Outer chuckled.</p>
<p>"Never see him coming <em>in,</em> always see him going <em>out."</em> I smirked.</p>
<p>"Do you realize that<em> you</em> kids have brought <em>more</em> previously deemed<em> 'bullies'</em> to their <em>knees</em> out of your sheer <em>goodness</em> than anyone's ever <em>seen?"</em></p>
<p>"I..guess I never thought about it."</p>
<p>"You've got almost <em>every</em> judge in the multiverse either <em>checking in</em> or <em>asking</em> about you."</p>
<p>"That's a bit unnerving.."</p>
<p>"Yeah, but it's also pretty <em>cool,</em> right?"</p>
<p>"I guess so; I was never much for crowds.."</p>
<p>"That's understandable. Either way, Fell's going to come..<em>whenever Fell comes..</em>and from what <em>I</em> hear, it's going to be special..since you <em>kinda</em> burned your arm...a <em>lottle."</em></p>
<p>"Don't you mean a <em>little?"</em></p>
<p>"Nah, it's burned <em>pretty</em> bad; it's <em>definitely </em>a <em>lottle."</em></p>
<p>I giggled at that; Outer could <em>always</em> make <em>anyone</em> laugh.</p>
<p>"Seriously, don't do that again.." Outer had almost fainted when he saw the damage that had been done to my arm.</p>
<p>"I <em>probably</em> won't.." I sighed. "I just..want to <em>see</em> him, again.."</p>
<p>"I know..it must have been difficult all these years.."</p>
<p>"I just.." I was tearing up again.</p>
<p>"Hey, you don't need to cry!"</p>
<p><em>"I want my brother.."</em> The tears dripped down my skull slowly.</p>
<p>"I know.." Outer placed a hand on my shoulder as he wiped away my tears with the other. "We'll find a way."</p>
<p>"Thank you..s-<em>so much.."</em> I hugged Outer tightly; I just needed some comfort at the moment..</p>
<p>"Shh, everything will be okay." Outer hugged me back and pulled me onto his lap to make me more comfortable. "We'll get that bracelet off, and <em>then, </em>you'll be able to see your brother again."</p>
<p>"Okay.." I yawned a bit.</p>
<p>"Nap time?"</p>
<p>I nodded softly, already drifting to a dream state.</p>
<p>"I'll make sure you sleep well." Outer laid my on my bed, being careful not to injure my arm. "Sweet dreams, Dust."</p>
<p>I fell asleep with a smile, descending into a peaceful, dusty nightmare. I always felt tired after crying, for some reason, but I didn't question it; if I <em>needed</em> to take a nap, I <em>would.</em> My rest didn't last <em>too</em> long, though; I wasn't <em>that</em> tired. It was a bit weird needing to take a nap every once in a while, at first; when I was still an adult, I could go for <em>days</em> without sleep, but as a <em>child,</em> I could barely go twenty hours without <em>some</em> form of sleep. I attributed it to a lower energy level, since I didn't have the training that I did when I was bigger anymore to keep my endurance up. When I woke up, I found that Fell was sitting by my bedside, smiling.</p>
<p>"Hey, there." Fell grinned.</p>
<p>"Hi.." I rubbed my eyesockets tiredly as I sat up.</p>
<p>"How're you feeling? I heard about your arm.."</p>
<p>"It's not <em>that </em>bad.."</p>
<p>"That doesn't really answer the question.."</p>
<p>"I'm..<em>okay."</em> If I were to be <em>honest,</em> it hurt..<em>really bad.</em></p>
<p>"Well, I've got something here that <em>might</em> be able to make you feel a<em> bit</em> better!" Fell presented me with a closed box.</p>
<p>"Really?" I was interested.</p>
<p>"Sure."</p>
<p>"But..<em>why?</em> I just hurt my arm..it's not <em>that</em> big of a deal."</p>
<p>"Well, the others already got <em>theirs, </em>and I didn't want you to feel <em>left out."</em></p>
<p><em>"All </em>of us get something?"</p>
<p>"I figured that might have changed your mind. Go ahead and open it." </p>
<p>Fell handed me the gift, which I opened accordingly with my good arm. Upon lifting the lid, I found a brand new pair of shoes; I had been needing some recently. I gave Fell a large hug after revealing the gift.</p>
<p>"Thank you <em>so</em> much!" I was overjoyed.</p>
<p>"Figured you'd like them." Fell chuckled.</p>
<p>"I <em>love</em> them!" The shoes were blue, and that was my <em>favorite </em>color!</p>
<p>"I <em>knew</em> it. So, how are you doing..with <em>everything?"</em></p>
<p>"It could always be <em>better.."</em></p>
<p>"Still trying to get that <em>'accessory' </em>off?"</p>
<p>"Yeah..I wish I could see Paps again. I really miss him.."</p>
<p>"I can see that..I wish I could help."</p>
<p>"You help by <em>being there;</em> I couldn't ask for more than <em>that."</em></p>
<p>"You're a sweet kid, Dust."</p>
<p>"And I may <em>stay</em> a kid <em>forever.."</em> I sighed.</p>
<p>"Yeah, that might not be the <em>best</em> thing.."</p>
<p>"I remember when I was <em>really</em> a kid..I was <em>stupid."</em></p>
<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"I didn't have any <em>common sense;</em> used to get in trouble for it, too."</p>
<p>"Ooh..that must have been hard.."</p>
<p>"Yeah.."</p>
<p>"Well, you've got it <em>now,</em> at least."</p>
<p>"I guess so."</p>
<p>At that point, the door opened, and my family came through happily.</p>
<p>"Heya, Dusty!" Killer jumped. "Can ya play, now?"</p>
<p>"He hasn't even had time to <em>recover.."</em> Nightmare reminded. <em>"One</em> day is <em>not</em> enough."</p>
<p>"Aww.."</p>
<p>"I'll get better, soon, Killer." I assured. "Don't worry!"</p>
<p>"Okay! So, do ya wanna play somethin' easy?"</p>
<p>"Like what?"</p>
<p>"Backgammon."</p>
<p>"I guess so."</p>
<p>"Well, I guess this marks the end of my short visit." Fell yawned. "I hope you enjoy the shoes."</p>
<p>"We will!" We harmonized. "Thank you!"</p>
<p>"You kids are so adorable..I'll visit sometime next week."</p>
<p>"Okay!"</p>
<p>After that, Fell left us through a portal, and we were ready to play a few games of backgammon; however, after about ten games, there was a visitor: Dream. He met us in Outer's room, and we greeted him with smiles; he was a really good friend. As always, he approached Nightmare first.</p>
<p>"Hello, brother!" Dream hugged Nightmare, who returned the gesture; they had really grown close over the years.</p>
<p>"Hi, Dream!" Nightmare smiled brightly.</p>
<p>"How have you been doing?"</p>
<p>"Fine, how about you?" </p>
<p>"The usual. I talked with Ink again, yesterday.."</p>
<p>"And?" I was interested; Ink was the only one who might have had the knowledge of how to remove the bracelets.</p>
<p>"No luck, sorry, Dust."</p>
<p>"That's fine.." I sighed, hoping the bracelets had a battery life; I knew that they <em>didn't.</em></p>
<p>"Well, I'm sure that we can find a way to remove those bracelets..<em>someday.."</em></p>
<p>"Right.." I just had to be <em>patient,</em> as hard as it <em>was.</em></p>
<p>"Ooh, are those shoes new?" Dream noticed the brand new footwear on the others.</p>
<p>"Yep!" Killer answered. "Fell brought them!"</p>
<p>"You have some of the <em>nicest</em> friends." Dream picked up Nightmare, noticing the request; Nightmare liked to be picked up.</p>
<p>"Yeah! They're all <em>super</em> nice!"</p>
<p>"I wouldn't hesitate to believe it!"</p>
<p>We continued to talk and laugh for a few hours, enjoying the company of our friends and family, and overall, having a <em>great</em> time! As the hours flew by, bedtime soon came, and we were <em>exhausted;</em> I wasn't as tired as I <em>usually</em> was, since I had taken that nap, but I was <em>more</em> than willing to go to sleep when it was time to. I said goodnight to Papyrus before I drifted to sleep, of course, since I didn't want him to feel as if I had forgotten about him; I would <em>never</em> forget <em>Papyrus.</em> Amidst my dusty nightmare, I wished that I could see Paps again..I missed him too much to put into words, and it was only made worse by the fact that <em>others</em> could see him, but <em>I couldn't. </em>I missed being able to hear his stories. I missed being able to laugh at his jokes. I missed being able to tell him that he was the best brother that ever lived <em>or</em> died. I wished that I could see him once more, even if it was only for a minute; I just wanted to be able to tell him that I loved him and to see his <em>amazing</em> smile. I supposed that if I waited, it would happen<em> eventually; </em>I just had to wait for a while.</p>
<p>I could wait for my brother.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean miss Paps bean.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my missing writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. 13 - Release</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ink had been locked up for a day under ten years; he would be released tomorrow. We had lived in Outertale with the brothers in happiness for around the same amount of time, and we <em>loved</em> it! We had become friends of just about everyone in Outertale, and they liked having us around, too; it was really..<em>nice.</em> We <em>liked</em> being welcomed in different places; we <em>liked</em> having friends that we could rely on. We had a <em>lot </em>of friends, really, but we <em>never</em> stayed apart from <em>eachother, </em>and we would <em>never</em> stop being a family; we would be a family <em>forever.</em> Today, we were preparing ourselves for Ink's release; we had to <em>be there,</em> although we didn't know <em>why.</em> We assumed it was some sort of formality, but we didn't know for <em>sure.</em> In any case, we were unsettled by it, but we would have a few close friends there to make sure that nothing went wrong; we didn't really have good fighting skills as children, but our friends could <em>certainly</em> protect us if something went wrong. We were currently playing in the Outertale brothers' living room, trying to get our minds off of important matters; we didn't want to think about Ink <em>at all.</em></p>
<p>"Plane one, you're clear for landing!" Nightmare signaled.</p>
<p>"Roger that, I'm comin' down!" Killer landed a toy plane on the ground. "Safe landin'!"</p>
<p>"Plane two, plane two, you're losing fuel!"</p>
<p>"Aw, shucks." Horror frowned. "Knew I should'a fix'd that."</p>
<p>"I c-can rescue h-him!" Cross tied a rope between his plane and Horror's.</p>
<p>"Good thinking, plane four!" Nightmare complimented. </p>
<p>"Plane five, requesting permission to land." Error solicited.</p>
<p>"Request under consideration..granted. You're clear for landing, plane five."</p>
<p>"Roger that, control." Error started to bring his plane down, but he collided with mine!</p>
<p><em>"Abort mission! Abort mission!" </em>Nightmare was concerned. "Rescue team! Firemen! Police! Help!"</p>
<p>"Oh, no!" I mourned my plane.</p>
<p>"Don't worry, Dusty!" Killer lifted his plane back up. "I gotcha!"</p>
<p>In a feat of heroism, Killer rescued the two planes that had collided, and they all landed.</p>
<p>"You'll no doubt be decorated for this, plane one!" Nightmare grinned.</p>
<p>"Like with Christmas lights?" Killer asked. </p>
<p>"..Not <em>quite."</em></p>
<p>"Aw, man!"</p>
<p>"Are you kids doing all right, down there?" Outer popped his skull out from the second floor; he and a few friends were discussing  tomorrow.</p>
<p>"Yep!" We answered.</p>
<p>"All right. We <em>might</em> take a <em>little </em>while longer than we had planned, so, if you <em>want</em> to, you can <em>maybe</em> ask Star to take you to..oh, I don't know..a <em>candy store?"</em></p>
<p><em>"Candy!" </em>Killer was already dragging Starstruck out of his room; he <em>had</em> been cleaning, but that was now of no importance.</p>
<p>"Be careful!"</p>
<p>"We will!" Error assured.</p>
<p>"Brother, we shouldn't be feeding them candy at such a late hour!" Starstruck was concerned.</p>
<p>"It's only <em>seven.."</em> Killer was disappointed.</p>
<p>"Oh..I suppose <em>once</em> cannot hurt.." Starstruck was by <em>no</em> means immune to Killer's pleading expression.</p>
<p>"Yay!" </p>
<p>"But not <em>too</em> much."</p>
<p>"Okay!"</p>
<p>At this, our group followed Starstruck - more like <em>he</em> followed<em> us -</em> out the door and into Stardin, where we found ourselves in the middle of town, staring at the candy shop. There wasn't a candy store in Stardin <em>at first,</em> but after Error and Cross continously asked, and the children of Outertale caught on, there was a large push for a candy store; of course, the adults were <em>completely</em> against the idea, and that started a civil war. After about a month of playing life or death paintball, the adults finally gave in and built a candy store. The idea was eventually accepted fully when the adults realized that <em>everybody</em> wanted to visit Outertale for the candy; the already-attractive tourist attraction just became <em>more</em> attractive, not to mention the fact that candy was easily accessible, now. When Starstruck caught up to us, we entered the candy store and went up to the counter; there was a child-sized counter, too, just for the children, which included <em>us -</em> we liked that. When we had waited for about ten seconds, the shopkeeper came out and smiled at us; we were frequent customers, of course, and she liked our visits.</p>
<p>"What can I help you with?" The shopkeeper smiled; she was always nice.</p>
<p>"I'm simply a spectator, today." Starstruck shrugged; he almost<em> always</em> was. "They have a limit of <em>one</em> type of candy each - not <em>too</em> much, this late.."</p>
<p>"Got it." The shopkeeper came down to the children's counter. "What can I get <em>you</em> today?"</p>
<p>"Uh.." Killer had to think carefully. "Chocolate jellybeans?"</p>
<p>"Interesting." She handed Killer some jellybeans as Starstruck pulled out his wallet.</p>
<p>"Thank you!" Killer hugged his jellybeans.</p>
<p>"Next?"</p>
<p>"U-uh, chocolate, p-please." Cross requested.</p>
<p>"Milk or dark?"</p>
<p>"..." Cross hated this choice; he could <em>never</em> decide. "M-mark..dilk..uh.."</p>
<p>"He'll take <em>milk,</em> and I'll take <em>dark."</em> Error helped.</p>
<p>"Th-thanks.." Cross was relieved.</p>
<p>"No problem."</p>
<p>"Here you go." The shopkeeper handed them their respective chocolates. "Next?"</p>
<p>"C'n I get some taffy, plea'?" Horror hoped.</p>
<p>"Absolutely!" She handed him some taffy. "Next?"</p>
<p>"Hmm.." Nightmare studied the candy shelf closely. "May I have some black licorice?"</p>
<p>"Of course." The shopkeeper gave Nightmare some licorice. "And..that's all but one; how about it, Dust?"</p>
<p>"Hmm.." I pondered my decision. "Could I have some peppermint sticks?"</p>
<p>"Sure thing!" She presented me with some peppermint sticks, which I accepted happily, before returning to the adult counter.</p>
<p>"How much do I owe you?" Starstruck prepared himself for the damage.</p>
<p>"That'll be.." The shopkeeper calculated the price. "Fifteen G - Saturday discount."</p>
<p>"Oh, thank goodness." Starstruck handed the shopkeeper the amount requested and turned to us. "It is time to go home - don't eat <em>all</em> of that candy <em>tonight;</em> save some for tomorrow." </p>
<p>"Okay!" We harmonized. </p>
<p>After this, we said goodbye to the shopkeeper and started our route home, where we would eat our candy and eavesdrop on the conversation the adults were having; we wanted to know what they were discussing, and they never said <em>exactly</em> that we weren't allowed to <em>listen!</em> When we reached the skeleton brothers' house, we noticed that the other adults were in the living room, now; we could listen <em>without</em> hiding! After a quick greeting and having most of our candy taken to the kitchen, we ate what we had and listened to the adults that were talking.</p>
<p>"I think we should give him a couple days with his magic suppressed before it comes back; I don't want to risk <em>anything."</em> Outer voiced his opinion.</p>
<p>"That's a good idea." The swapped Papyrus agreed. "Especially since the kids are going to be present when he's released."</p>
<p>"Yes, I believe that would work, and that's the last thing before we go through with it?" Dream wondered.</p>
<p>"Right." Outer nodded before looking to us. "You kids had better not be jumping off the walls from this sugar; bedtime's only forty-five minutes away."</p>
<p>"Aww.." Killer liked jumping off the walls.</p>
<p>"You can play more tomorrow, after the event, okay?"</p>
<p>"Okay.."</p>
<p>"Why do <em>we</em> have to go?" Nightmare didn't want to go; neither did the rest of us.</p>
<p>"Well, we're going to have him apologize to you..and promise never to touch you <em>ever again."</em> The swapped Papyrus explained.</p>
<p>"I think we'd be okay <em>without </em>that.." Error shivered a bit at the thought of seeing Ink again.</p>
<p>"You'll only have to see him <em>once</em> more; after <em>that,</em> it's likely that you'll<em> never</em> see him again."</p>
<p>"Okay..but we still won't <em>like</em> it.." I sighed.</p>
<p>"Fair enough." </p>
<p>"How about you put on your pajamas while we finish up here, okay?" Outer wanted us to be ready for bed.</p>
<p>"Okay!" We rushed upstairs to get changed - except for Nightmare, who didn't really have any need for that; he simply climbed into Dream's lap and cuddled with him while the adults talked.</p>
<p>When we reached Outer's room, Error, Killer, and I began to put our pajamas on; they were <em>very</em> soft and comfortable to sleep in! As we were changing, Killer started a conversation.</p>
<p>"I'm kinda scared.." He admitted. "Do ya <em>really</em> think he'll leave us alone?"</p>
<p>"I don't know.." I shrugged. "I'm afraid, too."</p>
<p>"Count me in, there." Error frowned. "He isn't the type to..<em>quit."</em></p>
<p>"He's also..s-<em>strong.."</em> I winced when I thought of what he had done in the past.</p>
<p>"Well, the others will be able to protect us.." Error reassured. "They won't let him overstep his boundaries, and after everything tomorrow, we won't have to worry about him again!"</p>
<p>"Yeah!" Killer couldn't wait. "And everythin'll be back to normal!"</p>
<p>"Yeah..I wish we could <em>skip</em> tomorrow, though." I wished that with all my <em>soul.</em></p>
<p>"I'd rather lie in bed all day.."</p>
<p>"I know how you feel.." Error looked down at the ground.</p>
<p>"Well, we should get back downstairs..they'll be expecting us." I looked to the door.</p>
<p>When that was said, we went back downstairs and spent some time with our friends before we had to go to bed, and they were <em>more</em> than willing to oblige our childlike natures with silly games. As the hour before bed passed, we finished our games and became increasingly tired; it was <em>no doubt</em> bedtime, and we went to bed accordingly. After saying good night to Papyrus, I descended into a dusty nightmare and prepared myself for the events of tomorrow; I needed that. When morning came, and we woke up, we knew what was coming, but we had to be strong. After changing into our normal clothes, we headed downstairs for our last breakfast before we had to see Ink again. When we were presented with some food, we wasted no time in eating the delicious breakfast and engaging in casual conversation. We had about an hour to play before we had to go to the universe that Ink had been contained in for the past decade, and we made the most of it; we wanted to <em>completely </em>forget about our next engagement until it <em>happened,</em> and we <em>did.</em> When Dream and the swap brothers entered the living room, we immediately remembered, unfortunately.</p>
<p>"Hello!" Dream waved, receiving the same. "Are you..<em>ready?"</em></p>
<p>"Can't we just <em>not</em> go?" Nightmare hoped.</p>
<p>"We'll make it up to you later..okay?" The swapped Sans promised.</p>
<p>"Okay.." We agreed.</p>
<p>"Well, we had better get going.." Dream picked up his brother and opened a portal, which we entered.</p>
<p>When we reached the universe, we noticed that it was completely empty - save for <em>one building.</em> Ink had been kept in this universe under strict watch for the past ten years, and his term was up. He was by no means <em>isolated - </em>there were volunteered security guards to keep him company - but he was never permitted to leave his cell..<em>until today.</em> Within ten minutes, there was a bit of a crowd outside the building; my family and I simply ate our candy from yesterday as we waited for it to end. After about twenty minutes, everyone who was coming had arrived, and a few judges went inside the prison to retrieve the prisoner; we prepared ourselves. When the door opened, the artist walked outside, being closely watched by <em>everyone</em> in the crowd. He seemed uninterested..until he spotted <em>us;</em> he gave us a small smirk before continuing on his way to a small stand that had been placed in the universe, where the original Classic Sans stood. When he reached the stand, Classic Sans spoke.</p>
<p>"Ink." He addressed. "You have been locked up for this past decade, correct?"</p>
<p>"Absolutely." Ink confirmed.</p>
<p>"Do you feel that your debt to society has been paid?"</p>
<p>"Didn't know I <em>had</em> a debt, but if you're talking about <em>prison time,</em> I think<em> so."</em></p>
<p>"Do you believe that you should be reintroduced into society?"</p>
<p>"Of <em>course."</em></p>
<p>"All right. When you leave this place, you will be granted travel to <em>one</em> universe of your choosing; your magic will be cut off for a couple days after you are sent there, but it will return naturally. As a result of your past doings - and a restraining order - you are absolutely <em>prohibited</em> from entering Outertale for <em>any</em> reason; if you somehow find a way to <em>get</em> there, you will be immediately escorted <em>out.</em> Is that <em>understood?"</em></p>
<p>"Sure."</p>
<p>"Are you willing to <em>apologize </em>to those you have hurt?"</p>
<p>"I guess."</p>
<p>"All right. Would the children please step forward?"</p>
<p>We hesitantly approached the stand, but we didn't get within three feet of Ink; we were too scared for <em>that.</em> When we were as close as we dared to go, Ink looked down at us and grinned; it was the same grin that he wore over a decade ago, but we remembered it like it was <em>yesterday.  </em></p>
<p><em>"Sorry!"</em> Ink shrugged before turning back to Classic Sans.</p>
<p>"That was in no way sincere, and I think you scared them." Classic Sans glared. "Do you vow to never harm them again?"</p>
<p>"Oh, well! Sure, whatever, I vow; can I get <em>on</em> with my life, now?"</p>
<p>"One more thing, if you don't <em>mind."</em></p>
<p>
  <em>"What?"</em>
</p>
<p>"Would you be so <em>kind</em> as to take those bracelets off the kids?"</p>
<p>"Hm..<em>no."</em></p>
<p>"Why <em>not?"</em></p>
<p>"Look, <em>Classy:</em> as far as <em>you're</em> concerned, I'm a free skeleton; if I don't <em>want</em> to take the bracelets off, I don't<em> have</em> to. Now, how about we finish this little <em>exchange</em> and call it <em>even?"</em></p>
<p>"It will <em>never</em> be <em>even."</em></p>
<p>"Even so, I'd like to <em>leave</em> this place, now."</p>
<p>Classic sighed before replying. "Get him out of here.."</p>
<p>"Pick a universe..except <em>Outertale..</em>and <em>mine,</em> for that matter." Fell growled.</p>
<p>"Universe 4B-15D." Ink smirked.</p>
<p>"..This is a <em>joke."</em> Fell didn't know the code terms for universes.</p>
<p>"The AU with my <em>house, </em>dummy."</p>
<p>Fell opened a portal, and Ink went through without hesitation; there was a great sense of relief as soon as he was gone, and we were ready to go home. After assuring the others that we weren't as scared as we looked - even though we <em>were -</em> we went home to Outertale, and the others calmed our worries by playing a few games with us.</p>
<p>We could relax for a <em>while,</em> at <em>least.</em></p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family witness Ink sausage release.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my freeing writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. 14 - Scare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ink had been free for two months, now, and we were still wary, no matter <em>how</em> many safeguards there were that were keeping Ink from entering Outertale; we were still scared. We didn't shy away from visiting friends in other universes, but we wouldn't stray too far from an adult; we didn't want to risk <em>anything.</em> Ink hadn't been seen doing too much of anything <em>important</em> in the time that he was free, but that <em>didn't</em> mean that he wasn't <em>planning</em> something; we weren't eager to find out. On the other hand, we didn't stop normal life just because of <em>Ink;</em> we played, had fun, and continued being children as always - we pretty much <em>were</em> children, and everyone regarded us as such. We liked being thought of as children; it made us feel <em>innocent,</em> and<em> that</em> was cause enough to make us happy. After the things we had done in the <em>past,</em> we <em>thrived</em> on being seen as innocent, and we didn't want to ruin that for <em>anything.</em> At the moment, we were playing in Stardin forest with Dream and the Outertale brothers, and we were having a <em>blast!</em> We <em>loved</em> playing games in the forest, and it was always so peaceful there.</p>
<p>"No <em>way!"</em> Error whined. "How did I not <em>find </em>you?!"</p>
<p>"You didn't look <em>up."</em> I chuckled, looking down from my tree; we had just finished a round of hide and seek..and I had just realized how <em>high</em> I was.. "Uh..could someone help me get down, please?" I clung to a tree branch tightly.</p>
<p>"Just hold on, Dust!" Outer summoned a blaster and had it fly up to me; I carefully slid onto it and held on as it lowered me down to the ground.</p>
<p>"Thank you!" I hugged Outer.</p>
<p>"No problem, kiddo!"</p>
<p>"What do we play now?" Killer was ready.</p>
<p>"Hmm..I wonder.." Nightmare glanced at Outer's blaster before summoning his own; it was <em>tiny!</em></p>
<p>"It's <em>adorable!" </em>Dream squealed; it <em>was</em> adorable!</p>
<p>"He shall be named Goopy." Nightmare hugged Goopy; Goopy was certainly goopy, just like Nightmare!</p>
<p>"Ooh, I wonder if mine's small!" Killer summoned his, which was <em>indeed</em> small! "Yay!"</p>
<p>"I completely forgot these things existed.." Error grinned at his tiny blaster.</p>
<p>"I's cute!" Horror giggled when his materialized.</p>
<p>"O-oh!" Cross's tiny blaster circled around him; it was pretty.</p>
<p>"They're cute!" I laughed at the others' blasters.</p>
<p>"How about it, Dust?" Outer encouraged. "What does <em>yours</em> look like?"</p>
<p>"Um..it's probably nothing special.." I didn't want to know.</p>
<p>"I'm sure it's <em>fine!"</em></p>
<p>"I..just don't want to.."</p>
<p>"Are you <em>sure?"</em></p>
<p>"Yeah..the others are having fun.."</p>
<p>"Well, okay.."</p>
<p>I smiled at the sight of the others having fun; <em>their</em> happiness mattered more to me than my <em>own.</em> When they were all occupied, I sat next to a nearby tree and spectated for a while as the others played; they looked like they were having a lot of fun. After a few minutes, I looked down at my hands, focused my magic, and summoned my own little blaster; it was..<em>cracked.</em> If Nightmare hadn't installed the magic restorer when he <em>did,</em> my blasters would have been the next type of magic to leave me, and it was rather evident in the multitude of cracks littering the blaster's body. Somehow, I found a bit of happiness in it; I just didn't want to waste magic when I didn't <em>need</em> to. After giving the blaster a small hug, I allowed it to dematerialize, and it was gone. I looked back to my family soon, finding that they were coming over to me. They sat next to me and smiled happily; we were having a <em>lot </em>of fun!</p>
<p>"What should we do next?" Error was ready.</p>
<p><em>"Backgammon!"</em> Killer jumped.</p>
<p>"Um..we didn't bring any board games.." Starstruck reminded.</p>
<p>"I can run home real fast and get it! I know where it is!"</p>
<p>"Are you <em>sure?"</em> Outer was aware of Killer's speed. </p>
<p>"Yeah! I'll be back <em>quick!"</em></p>
<p>"Well..I <em>guess..</em>just hurry back, okay?"</p>
<p>"I will!" Killer ran off towards the Outertale brothers' house; it wasn't <em>too</em> far away, and he would probably be back within two minutes at the <em>most.</em></p>
<p>"Somebody should <em>probably </em>go make sure he doesn't hurt himself." Dream was concerned.</p>
<p>"I'll go." I volunteered, standing up. </p>
<p>"All right. You stay safe, too!"</p>
<p>"I will!"</p>
<p>I then began to walk towards the house as well, noticing Killer's footprints in the dust that littered the ground; it wasn't <em>monster</em> dust, of course - it was just space dust. Comets sometimes flew around and dropped some debris; Error was hit by some once, and it wasn't exactly <em>pleasant.</em> After a couple minutes of walking, I noticed my pace quicken slightly; Killer should have been on his way back by <em>now!</em> When I finally got within sight of the house, I couldn't believe my eyelights. I screamed; there was nothing else to do. There was a dropped game of backgammon on the ground, and the side of the house that faced me had words painted on it: <em>"One down."</em></p>
<p>"What's the mat..<em>ter.."</em> Outer was in shock when he looked at the scene.</p>
<p>"N-no...no, no, no, no, no.." Nightmare whimpered; Dream picked him up, but that didn't help much at the moment.</p>
<p><em>"Starstruck."</em> Outer had the most serious expression I had seen him with for a <em>long</em> time.</p>
<p>"Yes, brother?" Starstruck knew that this was <em>urgent.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>"Call Swap and Blue. We have an artist to hunt down."</em>
</p>
<p>"Yes, brother." Starstruck ran inside their house and called the swap brothers.</p>
<p>"I'm scared.." I admitted, receiving hugs, which I returned.</p>
<p>"Dream, get them to safest place you<em> know of."</em> Outer ordered. "And don't let them out of your sight for <em>one second."</em></p>
<p>"I'll keep them safe!" Dream nodded, opening a portal.</p>
<p>"Wh-what about <em>Killer?"</em> Cross was worried.</p>
<p>"We're going to do <em>everything</em> in our power to make <em>sure</em> he's <em>safe."</em> Outer paused. "And if he <em>isn't..</em>I'm <em>not </em>responsible for my <em>actions."</em></p>
<p>"Come quickly!" Dream gestured to the portal. </p>
<p>We gave Outer one more hug before following Dream through his portal, which led to the meeting universe; there was a meeting earlier today, and there were still a few judges that had continued their conversations from earlier. When they saw us with frightened faces, they rushed over.</p>
<p>"What's wrong?" Fell asked.</p>
<p>"He took<em> Killer!" </em>Nightmare was crying as Dream held him tightly; the rest of us were either crying or trying our hardest <em>not</em> to.</p>
<p>
  <em>"Who?"</em>
</p>
<p><em>"Ink..</em>he's after them.." Dream frowned. </p>
<p>"I <em>think</em> I found <em>someone</em> to <em>fight."</em> Fell was going to defend us from our attacker.</p>
<p>"Uh..<em>usually,</em> I stay <em>out </em>of conflicts.." Classic Sans was present. <em>"But..</em>I'll make an <em>exception."</em></p>
<p>"Well, we're going to need all the help we can <em>get!"</em> Dream confessed. "The Outertale brothers and the swap brothers are out looking for him, and I'm keeping the rest <em>here."</em></p>
<p>"All right."  </p>
<p>"'S..'s he gonna <em>hurt </em>us?" Horror was frightened.</p>
<p>"Not on <em>my-"</em> Dream stared at us. <em>"Where's Cross?"</em></p>
<p>We looked around; he wasn't with us. A piece of paper few through the air; it said: <em>"Two down."</em></p>
<p>"I'm <em>scared!"</em> I had no problem with admitting that at the moment.</p>
<p>"Okay, let's take it <em>this</em> way: everybody holds a kid." Fell picked me up, and Classic lifted Horror; Error was left, but Fell decided to pick him up, as well. <em>"Now</em> the only way they're getting away is if Ink faces us <em>head-on."</em></p>
<p>"That doesn't sound <em>too</em> bad!" Ink's voice echoed through the room. </p>
<p>"You have <em>some </em>nerve, <em>Ink!" </em></p>
<p>"I'm not <em>denying </em>it!"</p>
<p>"Where have you taken Killer and Cross?"</p>
<p><em>"Somewhere.</em> You don't have to worry about them being <em>hurt;</em> I haven't done <em>that</em> yet!"</p>
<p>"And you're not <em>going</em> to." Outer appeared in front of us with Starstruck and the swap brothers.</p>
<p>"I <em>doubt</em> that!" Ink flung some paint in our direction, causing everyone to have to move out of the way.</p>
<p>"Can't you <em>leave them alone?!"</em></p>
<p>"No...I<em> can't.</em> You know, I don't really <em>feel</em> like <em>fighting,</em> today."</p>
<p>"So<em> give up!"</em></p>
<p><em>"No."</em> Ink opened a code bar, and everyone immediately fell to the ground; he was manipulating the code! "I think I'll just <em>win."</em></p>
<p>Ink walked over to us and forced us from the grips of our protectors; they were <em>powerless </em>against Ink's code manipulation, and, after a couple minutes, Ink had knocked every protector unconscious and ripped every child from their grasps. Once he had done that, he sent us children through a portal, which led to a cage where we found Killer and Cross, thankfully unharmed..<em>for now.</em> When Ink returned, he was carrying Outer, who he no doubt wanted to take revenge on for defeating him in the past. He placed him in a cage next to ours before turning to us.</p>
<p>"It's been so <em>long."</em> Ink chuckled. "Don't worry, <em>kids;</em> we'll have <em>lots</em> of fun together from now on, especially considering the fact that <em>nobody</em> can access this universe but <em>me!"</em></p>
<p>"Please, don't hurt them!" Nightmare begged.</p>
<p>"Sweet little Nightmare, wanting to protect his friends..how <em>nice.</em> Alas, I have <em>revenge</em> to take, and I'm going to start as <em>soon</em> as Outer wakes up.." Ink tapped a button on a code bar. "Oh <em>wait,</em> he's <em>already awake."</em></p>
<p>"Ink?" Outer was indeed awake, now.</p>
<p>"I'm so <em>glad</em> you could make it! I <em>do</em> believe that <em>one</em> of these children <em>helped</em> you take me down..and I'm<em> more </em>than willing to let <em>him</em> go <em>first."</em></p>
<p>Ink pulled me out of the cage, ignoring the pleads of the others. Outside the cage, there was an arena; it seemed abandoned, but that was probably how Ink <em>wanted</em> it. He forced me to my knees in the center, and I prepared for whatever he was planning on doing to me; he grabbed my left arm tightly.</p>
<p>"Now, Dust." Ink whispered softly. "Tell me if this <em>hurts-</em> wait, nevermind. I have a <em>better</em> idea."</p>
<p>Ink pulled out his paintbrush, brought it close to me, and glued my mouth shut; I didn't like that feeling, and I couldn't speak.</p>
<p>"Much <em>better."</em> Ink grabbed my left arm again. "Now, I'll judge from your <em>scream</em> how much it hurts!"</p>
<p>Ink pulled my arm behind me; he had done that before, and I knew what was coming next. With a sole motion, he snapped it, and I let out a sharp cry; it echoed throughout the arena, and Ink <em>loved</em> it. Ink repeated the actions with my other arm, and it met the same fate. When that was done, he pushed me to the ground; he wasn't finished, and everyone <em>knew </em>it. For the next three hours, he switched from breaking bones slowly to hitting me with his brush over and over; by the end of it, I couldn't move. Ink had <em>won</em> this game, and he was making the <em>most </em>of it. I was returned to the cage with my family when Ink became bored, but he only walked over to Outer's cage, where a sobbing skeleton resided. He was taking his revenge <em>now,</em> and he <em>adored</em> every crack that came from <em>both</em> of his victims. Outer ended up in only a<em> slightly</em> better state than I did. Ink gave up his torturing for the day when Outer was returned to his cage, but we knew that he would return soon; he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to <em>hurt </em>people. And so it went, for a <em>week, </em>and Ink had harmed <em>all</em> of us more than twice. He took me <em>five</em> times; I didn't know why he hated me so much. The eighth day started like any other, only beginning with more pain.</p>
<p>"Who wants to play <em>today?"</em> Ink said it as if it were just a <em>game.</em></p>
<p>Nobody spoke.</p>
<p>"Maybe I'll just play with <em>Dust</em> again." Ink scared me.</p>
<p>"N-no!" Nightmare spoke up; he wasn't going to let Ink take me <em>again..</em>I would have spoken to stop Ink from taking him, but the paint hadn't come off yet, and I was still unable to say <em>anything.</em></p>
<p>"So <em>you</em> want to play, Night?"</p>
<p>"..." Nightmare didn't <em>want</em> to, but he would allow himself to be taken to prevent the rest of us from being injured. <em>"Y-yes.." </em></p>
<p>"Very well!"</p>
<p>Ink grabbed Nightmare and took him to the center of the arena, where Nightmare's cries of pain came from for the next few hours. We thought that the day would continue like that, as it had the <em>other</em> days, but it <em>didn't.</em> As Ink was finishing up with hurting Nightmare, the sound of portals opening gave newfound hope to us.</p>
<p><em>"Ink,</em> <em>surrender now!"</em> Fell sounded angry - more so than normal.</p>
<p>"Let go of my <em>brother!"</em> Dream demanded.</p>
<p>"With<em> pleasure!"</em> Ink laughed as he threw Nightmare across the arena; he wasn't moving.</p>
<p>"What did you<em> do</em> to him?!" </p>
<p>"I just..<em>played." </em></p>
<p>"Surrender yourself <em>now,</em> Ink." Classic Sans didn't <em>like</em> these types of battles, but he was willing to enter one to protect us.</p>
<p>"Aww, <em>Classy!</em> You're <em>really</em> going to<em> fight</em> me?"</p>
<p>Classic Sans fired a blaster at Ink; he was <em>really</em> going to <em>fight</em> him.</p>
<p>"I <em>see.."</em> Ink was hit by that attack.</p>
<p>And so a battle started, and it didn't last long, since Ink was outnumbered - not to mention the fact that he couldn't access <em>code,</em> for some reason, which was also probably the <em>same</em> reason that the others managed to <em>get</em> there. When all was said and done, Ink was returned to his prison, where he would stay for <em>"as long as it took,"</em> which was the nice way of saying <em>"forever or until he got his act together,"</em> and we were taken to a hospital, where we would recover.</p>
<p>We hoped that we didn't have to see Ink again.</p>
<p>~~~chapter end woot~~~</p>
<p>Dust bean family do lots.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading my angsty writing!</p>
<p>Bye!</p>
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